The Mystery at Sleeping Pines
by mabelreid
Summary: One of Reid's neighbors asks his help in investigating the death of her friend at a nursing home. Reid doesn't believe there is foul play involved, but vists there anyway. He'll soon learn that everything is not as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: Only my original characters are mine. **_

Reid awoke on a sunny Saturday morning because his cat Leia decided that she wanted attention. The nose in his face, and the meow in his ear, yanked him out of a very pleasant dream he was having about visiting the ocean and digging his toes into cold, wet, sand. JJ had put in an appearance in this dream. She stood close enough for him to catch the scent that was unique to her in spite of the wind that whipped her hair around her face. She was leaning in to kiss him when Leia woke him.

He pushed the cat's head out of the crook of his neck and sat up. "You just can't let me sleep past six on a day off can you." He complained in a rusty voice.

Leia meowed and jumped into his lap. "You interrupted what could have turned into the best dream I've had in years, you know that right?"

Leia swished her tail and turned her blue eyes on him. He'd never seen a cat with eyes that color before he adopted Leia from the local animal shelter. She had a white coat with big black patches, and a tail that looked as though it had been dipped in black paint. Her face was pure white. She seemed to be telling him to stop being a lazy ass and get up.

"Fine… but now that I'm up, I'm going to take care of my chores, not play with you." He informed the cat. She only stared at him.

He picked her up and stroked her head a couple of times while his brain woke up. "Come on… let's go get breakfast.

Leia leapt down from his arms to the bed and from the bed to the floor. She meowed at him when he didn't move fast enough to suit her. He stuck his tongue out at her and she ran out of the room.

"One of these days…" He grumbled, following her into the kitchen and his beloved coffee machine.

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Reid picked up his clean batch of clothes and hiked out of the laundry room to the elevator. So far he'd managed to get his laundry done, clean his apartment from top to bottom, and re-organize his collection of books.

The elevator reached his floor, and he almost knocked over the little old lady that lived next door to him. "Sorry Mrs. Warburton, I wasn't watching where I was going." He grabbed her arm.

"Don't worry my boy. It's the curse of being old. People develop a convenient blindness around you. It's actually pretty useful. You wouldn't believe the things I've seen since I turned eighty and had to use this stupid cane." She stabbed the floor with her cane and Reid laughed.

"I guess that's true. Did you need help with something?" He asked, picking up the basket of clothes he put on the floor of the elevator, and balancing them on one arm.

"No… I'm just going for a short walk and to pick up the mail. You're a sweet boy for asking."

She smiled up at him and her wizened face was beautiful in its age. Her iron grey hair was short and shot through with pure white highlights. She had dark brown eyes and stood about five feet tall. Her dress was a large flower print in purple and blue. She wore clunky orthopedic shoes in an ugly shade of tan. He tried to get her to let him go fetch her mail for her, but she insisted, claiming to need the exercise.

He said goodbye to her and headed on to his apartment at the end of the hall. Leia was waiting for him when he came in. She was sitting on the arm of the couch closest to the door and began to loudly meow when he entered the apartment.

"Hey… I've got to put these clothes away." He explained.

She jumped down off the couch and followed him into his bedroom. She ran around his feet, nearly tripping him while he folded and put clothes away in the closet and his dresser.

"Leia… you need to be patient." He picked her up and put her on the bed, so he didn't trip over her. She leapt down again and left the room with her tail in the air.

"Fine… but don't come crying to me when you want a saucer of milk," He threatened. He put the laundry basket back in the closet and shut the door. He went to find Leia.

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly, but that was okay for him. At least he wasn't looking at dead bodies, or looking for kidnapped children.He was about to go into the kitchen and see if there was anything in the refrigerator worth eating when there was a knock at the door. He turned toward the living room and laughed when Leia streaked past the doorway to the kitchen. She had to greet any visitor he had. She loved visitors, Morgan being the only one she hated. Morgan wasn't fond of her either. It was funny.

Leia stood next to the door and meowed at him when he came into the room. "Yes… I know there's someone at the door. Let's see who it is." He told her as he opened the door.

"Mrs. Warburton…" He asked curiously. Her eyes were bloodshot and he could tell she was very upset and had been crying. "Please come in and sit down."

"Thank you Dr. Reid." She walked slowly into the room, leaning more heavily on her cane than he'd ever seen. Her hair a bit windblown and she still carried a plastic shopping bag in one hand.

"Is everything alright," He watched Leia jump up on the battered old couch Mrs. Warburton had sat on. The cat crawled into the old ladies lap.

"Leia… Get down from there," He admonished the feline, who only looked at him.

"It's fine dear boy…" One of her hands, swollen with arthritis, and dotted with dark brown age spots, began to stroke the cat as if for comfort. He noticed the hand was shaking.

"Ma'am is there anything wrong?" He asked again, sitting in the equally battered armchair across from the couch.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I just came from Sleeping Pines…"

Reid was floored when the old lady looked up at him and he saw the tears running down her face. "Mrs. Warburton… What happened?" His voice was more forceful than he'd meant, and he was just opening his mouth to apologize when she interrupted him.

"I- I had just arrived to visit my friend, Stella Hutchinson, and the nurse informed me that she had a heart attack this morning."

"I'm very sorry ma'am. Would you like a glass of water, or something else to drink?"

"Do you have anything stronger than water dear boy?"

He gaped at her and she gave him a watery smile. "I - ah don't know. I'll have to check."

He left her there with Leia purring in her lap, while she stroked the top of the cat's head. It seemed to have some calming effect on her so he didn't make Leia get down.

He rummaged around in his pantry and actually found a bottle of Jack Daniels. He then remembered that Morgan had given it to him as a Christmas gift, his idea of a joke as he knew Reid wasn't much for hard liquor.

"I'm afraid Jack Daniels is all I have Mrs. Warburton." He called out and nearly dropped the bottle when she called back.

"That will do just fine. Make it a double, neat." She answered back.

He wondered for a minute if he should pour the drink, after all she could be on medications that might not mix well with the alcohol, but then again she was an adult and most definitely over twenty one. He poured out the drink and took it to her with a trembling hand.

"Don't look so upset Dr. Reid. I don't intend to get plastered." Tears were still leaking from her eyes.

"No ma'am…" He gave her the tumbler and went back to his seat. She sipped the drink like it was tea.

"I'm sorry… I don't mean to act like I've lost what's left of my marbles. Stella was my best friend. We grew up together. Our friendship survived two wars, two marriages, kids, grandkids and the loss of both our spouses. I guess I thought she'd be around forever."

"Was she very ill?" Reid asked.

"Yes… she had Parkinson's and her tremors were so bad she was confined to a wheelchair. Sometimes she would hallucinate and not know me. Other times she seemed almost like when we were children. She could remember all the trouble we used to cause our parents and…" The old woman broke down again.

Reid could only sit there and look at her. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't good at comforting people, especially little old ladies with cats on their laps.

"Is there anyone I can call for you?" He finally said, feeling stupid and useless in the face of this woman's grief.

"No… I just don't understand. It shouldn't have happened."

"Mrs. Warburton…"

"I know you think that I'm a grief stricken old woman who's imagining things, but there is something wrong at Sleeping Pines."

"Ma'am I'm sure that nothing untoward is going on. You're friend was ill and -"

The old woman stamped one foot on the floor and Leia scrambled down from her lap. The cat yowled and then ran out of the room. Reid stared at the old woman in surprise.

"There's something wrong there young man. I know there is. I talked to Stella and she told me about some of the friends she made there and their "so-called natural deaths."

Reid swallowed hard and tried to phrase his words very carefully. "Deaths in institutions have steadily risen in the United States. In nineteen eighty, they made up seventy-four percent of deaths, with sixty point five percent in hospitals and thirteen point five percent in other institutions." He supplied helpfully.

"I don't need statistics Dr Reid. There is something fishy going on there, and I need your help to figure out what it is!"


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/n hey everybody. Here is the next chapter. My most sincere thanks to everyone that has reviewed this so far, or added it to their alerts. This chapter is short, but there will be another addition soon. **_

_**Disclaimer: Only my original characters belong to me. **_

"I don't need statistics Dr Reid. There is something fishy going on there, and I need your help to figure out what it is!"

"Mrs. Warburton… why don't you tell me why you're so concerned."

Leia leapt down from the old lady's lap and crossed the room to sit down at Reid's feet. Her white face turned up to his and stared at him.

"Stella told me the last time that I visited, that a friend of hers had died the week before," Mrs. Warburton finished her drink and began to fiddle nervously with the tumbler. "She said that her friend had a very bad case of rheumatoid arthritis. She ran around in one of those scooter things. She was in pretty good health. And before you ask," Mrs. Warburton held up one wrinkled hand to cut him off when he opened his mouth. "She had all her marbles."

Reid went pink in the cheeks. "Now Mrs. Warburton, you should be a profiler. How did you know that's what I was going to ask?"

"You psychologist types always ask that question. The next thing you'll want to know is if she hated her mother!" She quipped. Her hands had quit shaking he noticed.

Reid laughed. "Ok… you're right."

"The point is that Stella's friend also had a heart attack and so did three other women. They were all widows like me and Stella. All of them had chronic illnesses, but none of them were terminal."

"Mrs. Warburton, I can't -"

"Dear boy, would you please call me Esther. Mrs. Warburton makes me feel like a high school teacher."

"I thought you were a high school teacher."

Esther smiled up at him. "That's true, but no one likes a smart ass." She reminded him and he laughed again.

"Alright… Esther… please call me Spencer. No one calls me by my given name anymore and I kind of miss it." He admitted with a blush. "Now... I can't look in to this based on the hunch of one of your friends. For one thing, I need to look at medical records and I can't even ask as a professional courtesy without a good reason. I'd have to get a warrant or a subpoena. There are no autopsy reports to look at because they wouldn't have done an autopsy unless there were suspicious circumstances."

"But Spencer... There has to be something you can do!" She pleaded. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Leia meowed before running over to Esther and jumping back up on her lap.

_Great… now the cat is ganging up on me too! _

"I'll see what I can do. I can't promise anything." He assured her. "Now tell me about the other two ladies. What kinds of illnesses did they have?"

"You're a very sweet young man." She gave him the details as she knew them. She gently pushed Leia off her lap and got laboriously to her feet. Reid leapt up to go open the door for her.

"Your mother raised you right." She pinched his cheek and he blushed.

"Yes ma'am… I'll talk to my boss first thing on Monday. If we don't have an urgent case, I'll see what I can find."

"Thank you dear boy," He showed her out and watched her till she stepped into her own apartment and shut the door.

He went back inside and sat down on the couch next to his cat. "Why can't I say no to little old ladies and cats," He asked her? Leia meowed and jumped down to the floor. She gave him a stare and then left the room.

"Great… don't you just love a closed mouth cat?" He yelled after her.

He spent the rest of the evening and the next day trying to decide what he was going to tell Hotch. His boss was going to want facts, not speculation.

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Monday came without Reid deciding what he was going to do, or what he was going to say to Hotch. The drive to work seemed too short, and for once the elevator was right there when he pushed the call button.

Morgan and Emily were in the bullpen and Morgan greeted him enthusiastically.

"Hey kid… How was your weekend?"

"I told you not to call me kid." Reid snapped.

"Hey… I'm just fooling with you. Are you okay my man?"

"Yes…" He dropped his messenger bag on the desk and stowed away his ready bag. "Do we have a case, has JJ been in?"

"No… we're on paperwork." Emily responded.

Reid looked at his desk and noticed his stack looked twice as big as Morgan's. "Why is there more on my desk than yours," He demanded.

"I don't know my man." Morgan grinned. Reid just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest and glared at Morgan.

"Ok… fine… I might have slipped a couple on your desk." Reid didn't say anything. "Alright… I'll take them back.

Morgan took five files off Reid's stack and sat down behind his desk. "You're in a foul mood," He grumbled.

"Yes… I am… Get used to it!" Reid left the bull pen.

"What's his problem?" Morgan asked Emily.

"The fact that you even have to ask that question scares me." Emily said, and then turned back to her own stack of work.

"Whatever," Morgan shot back before immersing himself in his work.

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Hotch looked up when a tap came at his door. "Come in," He said.

Reid came in and sat down. "I'm sorry to bother you sir, but I wanted to ask your help with something that came up over the weekend."

Hotch put aside the file he was looking at and gave his full attention to the younger agent. "What's on your mind Reid," Hotch asked?

Reid explained the conversation he had with his neighbor. "I don't know if there's anything going on, or if I'm just a sucker for little old ladies."

"Reid… I know you wouldn't come to me with this if it wasn't important to you. I have to ask you something. Are you sure you're not doing this because your mother is in a sanitarium, and you're worried that something might happen to her, while in care."

Reid flushed a bit, but he looked Hotch in the eye. "I thought about that myself. I thought all day yesterday that I was agreeing to look into a possible wild goose chase because of my own guilt."

"You've never let your mother's condition color your judgment Reid."

"Yes I have… Remember Randall Gardner. I overreacted to his threat and dragged my mother out here when I knew she hated to fly. It took her weeks to get back to the place she was after I did that to her."

Hotch stood up and went around his desk. He leaned against it and looked at Reid, who looked miserable.

"You did the right thing… If you hadn't brought her here, we might not have saved Rebecca."

"I know Hotch… What can I do? I can't just go over there and question anyone without proof."

"I trust you Reid. You'll come up with some kind of plan." Hotch reached over and placed a hand on Reid's shoulder. "I know if there's anything wrong there, you'll figure it out."

Hotch squeezed his shoulder and went back to the chair behind his desk. "There's nothing hot today. If something comes up, then you'll have to work it on your own time."

"I know Hotch. Thanks for your advice."

"Sure thing let me know if you find anything."

"Okay…" Reid left the office and didn't see the smile Hotch had on his face. When he was sure that the young man was out of earshot, he picked up the phone and made a call.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/n here's the next chapter everyone. Thanks again to all my reviewers and readers. I appreciate all your great feedback.**_

_**Disclaimer: Only the original characters are mine. No copyright infringement is intended. **_

Reid tapped on Garcia's door and walked in when she called out for him to enter. "Hey sweet boy… What brings you to my sanctuary?"

"I have a problem that needs your particular talents.

Garcia grinned up at him. "Challenge me… you handsome thing."

Reid took the second chair in the room. "Okay… so here's what I need you to do!"

He related the story Mrs. Warburton told him about Sleeping Pines, and the information he needed her to find for him.

"Why must you insist one giving me simple tasks," Garcia whined.

Reid only smiled at his friend, who was wearing her hair in pigtails. They were tied off with bright pink ribbons. Her glasses had dark red frames. Her dress was fluorescent pink and green, with bright pink and yellow daisies on the skirt. She wore leopard prints platform heels and her lipstick matched her glasses frames. As always, Reid felt a little under dressed when around his flamboyant friend. He watched her fingers fly over the keyboard as though she'd been born with a motherboard in her hands.

"Sorry Garcia, I really tried this time." He tried to sound contrite, but she just clucked her tongue at him disapprovingly.

"It's a good thing I enjoy your company sweet cheeks. Ok, Sleeping Pines…. It's a fairly new nursing home. It opened in 2004. So far they've kept their noses clean. Of course the rate of death is high due to the nature of the care center. They've had a couple of malpractice suits brought against a Dr. Lev Stevens, but nothing stuck. Again that's normal for an institution of this size.

They have a three full time doctors, several aides and nurses. There's the administration staff and janitorial. The nursing home has some of the most stringent background checks in the state. The man that runs the place is Dr. Walter Atkinson.

Dr. Atkinson was born in New Jersey in 1950. He went to Harvard Medical School. He was first in his class. He did his residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, and had his own practice in Connecticut till his mother died in 2004 from Parkinson's related complications. He put up the money to build Sleeping Pines.

They have about seventy five residents at any one time. There haven't been any citations for health code violations, or safety violations. Isn't that a little unusual?"

Reid looked up from the screen to see his friend with raised eyebrows. "It's a private institution. It's not state run."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I've seen the inside of state institutions. Just trust me when I say that privately run sanitariums sometimes have higher standards."

Garcia glanced over sharply at her friends tone, but he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the computer screen and he was frowning.

"Alright sweet boy… I'll take your word for it." She said gently. "Ok… so moving on. Dr. Atkinson has had the usual malpractice suits brought against him. All of them were dismissed due to lack of evidence. It appears that they were brought by patients that felt he should have been a miracle worker in their cases.

The rest of the staff looks squeaky clean on the surface, but you know me. If there's anything to hide I'll find it for you!"

"Thanks Garcia… I'm going to go tackle some of the case files on my desk." Reid got to his feet and was halfway out the door when Garcia called him back.

"Hey… check this out!" She called over her shoulder.

He went back to the chair he'd just vacated and looked where Garcia was pointing excitedly at the screen in front of her.

"This is a little strange. Sleepy Pines has a standing advertisement on their website looking for pets… dogs and cats to visit the patients. Isn't that weird?"

"Actually there have been numerous studies done on the effects of petting a cat or a dog. It can lower your blood pressure, help to reduce stress, and -"

He was cut off by Garcia's hand over his mouth. "Ok… I get it… Is that why you adopted Leia?"

Reid moved Garcia's hand away from his mouth. "I didn't adopt her, she adopted me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll have to figure it out for yourself." He got up and left the office again while Garcia yelled back at him.

"Hey… You can't just leave me with an answer like that."

"Yes I can… I'm busy!" He called back.

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Reid rounded the corner and almost knocked JJ to the ground. The files in her arms began to slide from her arms to the floor. "Sorry JJ…" He said before she could react.

He knelt and began picking up the files she dropped. "Where were you going is such a hurry!" JJ inquired, bending down to help him retrieve the spilled files.

"Um… I was looking for you." He stood up with his arms full of files.

"You found me… What can I do for you?" she answered with a smile on her face, but her eyes looked haunted and tired.

"Ah… can we go talk in your office?" Reid asked her.

"Sure… you're being very mysterious!"

They headed back down the hallway to her office. She opened the door and as always, Reid was amazed at the case files that were always there waiting for her to look at them. It was no wonder she had lost her happy smile in the last months. Had they all been working this job too long?

"Just put those over there," She gestured at her desk.

He dropped then on the stack nearest to the edge of her deck and she added the ones she carried.

"Yeah… so I was wondering if -"

He almost fell when JJ jumped at him and kissed him soundly. Her arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him in close. Their tongues were battling each other before Spencer remembered they were in the office. He pulled away from her against the protests of his hormones.

"Ah JJ… Did you forget that we're at work? Garcia has eyes everywhere." He breathed, feeling very lightheaded from the scent of vanilla that always accompanied JJ wherever she went.

"Oh right… I keep forgetting about the security cameras. I've just missed you so much! We've been working non-stop for weeks. When we did get a weekend off, I had to go home for my cousins wedding. I'm never going to forgive you for weaseling out of that trip."

Reid went white faced. "Ah... JJ I told you I'm not ready to meet your family yet. I think we should just take it slow."

"I know… I agree with you. But you didn't have to endure the weekend with my aunt hounding me to go out with her next door neighbor's son, who happened to be in town for the weekend."

"Why didn't you… I trust you." Reid said magnanimously while perching on the edge of the chair across from her desk.

"Gee thanks… Dr. Reid. For you information, Walter is five ten, three hundred and fifty pounds, with a hairline that's receded all the way to the back of his neck. He's an accountant and dull as a bucket of mud."

"I never thought you were shallow JJ." Reid teased.

"I'm not… Walter happens to be twenty years older then me and divorced three times."

Reid winced at her tone, but he also wanted to laugh at her predicament. "I'm sorry… I promise I'11 go to the next family function you're invited to. After all, I wouldn't want to lose you to Walter." He laughed.

"That's very funny… I didn't know you were such a smart ass when we started going out. I might have said no."

It was her turn to laugh when Reid pouted. "You're just jealous that you don't have my sparkling wit and sense of fun."

"Right… You just keep fooling yourself Dr. Reid. Now was there a reason you wanted to talk to me or did you just come in here to distract me."

"What… oh yeah… I…" He swallowed very hard going crimson in the face. "Ah… JJ… will you marry me?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/n here's the next chapter. Thanks for all your reviews, they make me very happy.**_

_**Disclaimer: Only my original characters belong to me! **_

JJ sat staring at Reid as though he'd started speaking Russian. _Did he just ask me to marry him? He won't go home for a wedding with my family, and he wants to get married. Well… he was in for a rude awakening!_

"Have you lost your mind Reid? You just sit there and tell me you're not ready to meet the family, and then you propose."

Reid flinched back from the anger in JJ's eyes. "Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just blurt it out like that. I didn't mean it like that."

"What are you talking about," She demanded?

Reid explained to her what had happened with Mrs. Warburton. The explanation didn't sit well with her and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"So Reid… You don't have enough work here that you have to go looking for trouble." JJ said in a very reasonable tone that meant she was really pissed.

"It won't take long what I have in mind. Hotch is letting me check into this as long as it doesn't interfere with any other cases.

Garcia dug up a lot of information for me about the nursing home and the staff that works there. I need someone to go out there with me that can connect with the staff. You're very good with people JJ. I need you to pretend that you're my wife and we're looking for a place for my mother to stay."

"Oh… that's what you need! Um… okay!"

Reid realized by JJ's tone that something was wrong. What did he do wrong? She looked really mad.

"JJ… Are you mad at me?"

"You don't just ask a girl to marry you and then say it's all for a case."

Reid got up from his chair and went hesitatingly to her desk. "Um… so are you mad that I didn't mean it for real?"

_Nice Reid… Do you like living with your foot in your mouth?"_

"I mean that I want to spend every minute of every day with you. I love you very much JJ, it's just that… well I don't…. Oh boy I'm not saying this very well, am I?"

She looked into those chocolate puppy eyes and melted. She wanted to be mad at him, but it was impossible when he looked like a kid that had his candy stolen by an unscrupulous politician. She decided to put him out of his misery.

"I know what you mean Reid. I love you too, but I don't think either of us is ready for a "real" marriage.

"So you're not mad at me?"

"No… of course not," She smiled at him and he could see that it touched her eyes too. It made him smile as well.

"So you'll help me," He asked.

"Yes… I never could say no to you. Besides, I happen to have a soft spot for Mrs. Warburton. She's a heck of a lady. What did you have in mind?"

He leaned over and kissed her. "I promise this won't take long. We'll go to Stewarts for dinner after we're done and you can wear that little red number you bought a few weeks ago…" He ran one long finger down her face and across her cheek to her mouth. She opened her mouth and licked his finger.

"You drive a hard bargain Dr Reid."

Reid explained part of his plan to JJ. He left out certain facts, hoping that she wouldn't notice he was holding back.

"Isn't that a little dishonest Spence," JJ was playing with her pen, but her eyes were beginning to sparkle in a way he hadn't seen since before Georgia.

"No it's going undercover. We just won't tell them we're from the FBI. They'll close up if they know that we're there to dig into the inside story, if there is one."

"Is Hotch okay with this," JJ wanted to know.

"No… I wanted to get your answer before I went to him."

"Well it sounds simple enough." JJ agreed and then frowned at the slightly panicked look that was coming into her lover's eyes. "Spence… Where are you going?" She demanded as he got up and headed out the door. "What aren't you telling me?"

He looked back at her and hoped that she wouldn't be too upset with his small addition to their outing. "Um… I have an idea that might help smooth the way."

"Well… what it is it?"

"I'll tell you after I talk to Hotch." He made his escape before JJ could protest.

They were going to have a long talk when this was over, JJ thought before shaking her head at the perplexing behavior of genius profilers.

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Reid talked to Hotch about his plan and the Unit Leader gave his okay for JJ to help Reid with his undercover operation. Hotch actually laughed when Reid explained what else he had in mind. This shocked Reid just a bit, but he had to admit that it was nice, but weird to see their boss smile.

He left the bullpen and headed to the elevator ignoring Morgan who wanted to know where he was off to in the middle of the day. The train ride back to his apartment complex was pleasant for a change. He read a novel that was buried in the bottom of his messenger bag.

Leia ran out of his bedroom and began meowing loudly at him the minute he walked into the apartment. She wove in and out of his legs frantically. "Hey… you act like I've been gone for days." He dropped his messenger bag on the floor and knelt down to stroke the top of her head.

Leia started to purr and push her head into his hand. "I have a job for you. You get to go on a trip with JJ and me."

Leia looked up at him, her blue eyes were half closed under the gentle ministrations of his long fingers. She purred and didn't seem to care that she was going to be visiting some patients at a nursing home.

"Well you're taking the suggestion very well. Should I be worried about that," Reid asked her. She meowed up at him and he stood up to go into the kitchen. He got some treats for her and went to find her travel kennel.

Leia followed him all over the apartment and was very unhappy when he put her into the kennel. "It's not going to be for very long." He soothed her, wondering why he was talking to her like a little kid. "We're going to meet JJ and make some new friends."

Leia yowled and then growled angrily at her human. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." He told her. She went very silent, and that was somehow worse than growling and spitting.

He picked up the kennel and grabbed his messenger bag, added the cat treats to it and left his apartment. Hopefully between Leia and JJ, he'd be able to get some information from the staff and get a feel for the place. He was sure nothing was going on, but at least he could tell Mrs. Warburton that he'd tried everything he could. Hopefully she wouldn't break down crying in front of him again. Upset females stymied him, whether feline or human.

"I have to learn how to deal with them. Maybe I should ask Morgan." He said to himself while riding the elevator down to the main floor. "Naw… on second thought maybe I'll ask Hotch instead." Yeah that would work!

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JJ was waiting in the garage at Quantico when Reid pulled up in his ancient Volvo. "I hope were not going in that old thing." She said derisively.

"Hey… this car is a classic." He retorted, getting out of the car and going around to the passenger side door to open it for JJ.

"Thank you kind sir," She bowed low to him and he opened the door with a flourish.

"You're chariot awaits dear lady."

JJ got into the car and was fastening her seat belt, when a low growling yowl came from behind her. She turned around in the seat while Reid got into the drivers side.

"Hey… what's Leia doing here? She doesn't sound very happy."

Reid started up the car and JJ turned back around to face the front. "Yeah… she's not very happy with me at the moment. She doesn't like that kennel very much."

"I don't blame her. It's a very small space."

"I know, but I can't very well put her in the car and let her roam around while I'm trying to drive. You know Leia, she'd been begging for my attention and I'd probably have an accident."

JJ started to laugh over the hissing cat. "Yeah… she'd probably head straight for your lap, not that I blame her."

"Very funny Agent Jareau," Reid said going crimson in the cheeks.

"So why is she in the car anyway?" JJ asked again.

"Oh yeah… Sleeping Pines has a program that allows dogs and cats to visit the residents for therapeutic purposes."

"So you're using your cat to get an in at the nursing home." JJ said a bit disapprovingly, but she was grinning at him.

"No… you're going to use Leia as an in at the nursing home." He smiled at her horrified expression. "Don't worry JJ… You'll do fine, Leia loves you!"

_**A/n sorry guys, I know you were all excited about the proposal. Oh well, maybe next time he'll really mean it! **_


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/n here's the next chapter everyone. Thanks for all your kind reviews. I appreciate all feedback._**

"Don't worry JJ there's cat treats in my bag and Leia will calm down once we get where we're going. She hates that carrier and the car." Reid informed JJ who didn't look very confident at this answer.

"Ok… but you're taking her out of that thing when we get there. I'm not sticking my hand in that kennel with her spitting and hissing like that. She might take my hand off!"

Reid was pulling out of the garage. He stopped the truck to look before exiting and glanced over at his girlfriend and saw that she was completely serious. "Come on JJ, she's not going to take your hand off."

He entered the flow of traffic. "That's easy for you to say. That cat adores you!" 

"I know, what's not to adore." He shot back.

JJ wouldn't look at him for the rest of the trip, but he suspected that was because she was trying not to laugh. They pulled up to the parking lot at Sleeping Pines and got out of the car. Reid got into the back and grabbed the cat carrier. He picked up his messenger bag and slung it over a shoulder. Leia was still hissing and he began to burble to her like a parent with a baby. JJ began to giggle and he glared at her. 

"What's so funny?"

"You are… Do you two want to be alone?" She teased, still highly amused.

Reid made to smack her on the shoulder and dropped his messenger bag. JJ laughed again when Reid went red and cursed. 

"Such language Dr. Reid… You shouldn't talk that way in front of our baby." She began cooing at Leia who'd settled down a bit. The cat yowled at her and JJ narrowed her eyes at the feline.

"Don't worry… once she gets some treats, she'll love you again." Reid laughed. 

They headed into the three story brick building. The lobby was white walled and the carpet was a light rose color. There were woven baskets chairs lined up on one side of the lobby and more comfortable upholstered easy chairs in matching cream and Rose colors next to the office to the right. The door said: No admittance, authorized personnel only. To the left there was another office with the name Jane Taylor, Administrator. 

Just ahead of the two offices was a long counter manned by two nurses in dark blue scrubs. One of the nurses looked up as Reid and JJ entered the lobby. One of them was a plump black woman with the kindest black eyes Reid had ever seen. She smiled and her teeth were blindingly white. Her hair was braided in long corn rows and lightened to a reddish blond color. The second nurse was male. He was white with black hair and dark brown eyes. He looked a little annoyed as the two agents entered the lobby. 

"Can I help you…?" He asked distractedly.

"Yes… My name is Jennifer Jareau. This is my husband, Dr. Spencer Reid. We wanted to speak with someone regarding the type of care you offer here at Sleeping Pines. You see Spencer's mother is very ill and we are trying to find a place to transfer her to from where she is now in Las Vegas." JJ gave the male nurse a winning smile and he smiled back, giving her a once over that made Reid's blood begin to boil. 

"Do you have an appointment?" He asked ignoring the look the other nurse was giving him.

"No… I didn't realize that we'd need one." JJ pouted.

"Well… I'm sure we can work something out." The man assured her.

He left the desk and went to the door marked Administrator and knocked. "Way to go JJ…" Reid said through the corner of his mouth.

"Sorry about that," The female nurse apologized to JJ. "My name is Sondra and that was Wendell. He doesn't know when to turn of his flirting gene." 

"It's okay…" JJ smiled and Reid tried not to laugh at the conciliatory tone she'd adopted. "In my line of work, I get that all the time." 

Sondra's eyes danced, "Oh… what do you do for a living if you don't mind my asking?"

"I'm in Public Relations… I'm supposed to know how to be diplomatic." JJ made quotation marks with her fingers. 

"Yeah… how's that working for you." The nurse wondered. JJ only laughed. 

Leia was still growling from her carrier and Sondra looked at Reid. "Someone's irritated I hear," She gestured to the carrier. Reid went pink in the cheeks. 

"Ah - that's Leia, my - I mean our cat. Ah - we just got married you see and -" 

"What he means…" JJ interrupted Reid before he dug himself in deeper. "We saw your website and request for animal visitors so we brought Leia with us."

"Oh… well I'm sure we can find a couple of residents that would appreciate a visit from her."

Reid set the carrier on the counter and opened the door. He opened his bag and gave Leia a couple of treats. After much coaxing and baby talk from Reid, she came out of the carrier into his arms. JJ and Sondra were giggling. Reid was crimson in the face. 

A voice came from behind Reid. "Oh she's such a beautiful little cat." He whirled around and saw a very small Hispanic woman leaning over a walker. She wore a dark blue dress with white polka dots and beige orthopedic shoes. Her hair was dark brown and heavily streaked with grey. Her face was remarkable in that it was unlined. Her dark brown eyes sparkled. 

"Maria… what are you doing down here." Sondra clucked disapprovingly.

"I'm taking a walk. I need my exercise." The woman retorted in slightly accented English. 

She turned to Reid and said "May I hold the cat?" 

She looked so excited that Reid was handing over the cat when the door to the Administrators office opened and the male nurse left the office. He was followed by a very tall and distinguished looking man in a white lab coat. He wore a dark blue tailored suit pants with a red tie. There were narrow silver stripes running diagonally down the tie. His shoes were polished to a mirror shine. His pants were sharply creased and the white shirt he wore was blindingly white. His hair was black with some grey at the temples. He wore glasses and had eyes that were the color of emeralds. His face had laugh lines and he was smiling.

"Wendell tells me you're interested in moving your mother into our facility." He said to JJ, ignoring everyone else. "I'm afraid my administrator, Margaret is out sick for the day, so I'm doing double duty." He said, stretching out a hand to JJ and continuing to ignore Reid and the others. "My name is Dr. Lev Stevens."

"It's nice to meet you. It's my husband's mother we've come about." JJ explained. 

"How terribly sorry I am, my dear." He took her arm. "Why don't we speak in my office?" JJ gave Reid a look that said back off when he would have followed her. He didn't like that she was going into the man's office alone; there was definitely something he didn't like about that man. 

"Why don't you go with Maria," JJ told him then disappeared into the office.

"I'm sorry about Dr. Stevens. He tends to get tunnel vision whenever there are beautiful women around." She saw the look on Reid's face and added. "Don't worry; I'm sure your wife can take care of herself with the good doctor.

This wasn't reassuring to Reid, but he had to remind himself that JJ was an agent and capable of dealing with the doctor. She would be upset if he interfered with her questioning of the man. 

He followed Sondra and Maria to a little room off the hallway. It was empty except for a man that looked to be Reid's age sitting in the corner, rocking back and forth in his chair and staring at the wall in front of him. 

Sondra gave Maria the cat when they had sat down and she began stroking the cat's head. Leia sat still for a minute and strangely didn't purr as she normally would. She loved to have her ears scratched. Reid was about to ask Maria where she was from when Leia sat up, struggled out of Maria's hands and ran over to the young man sitting at the other end of the room. 

Leia sat staring at the young man and Reid excused himself from Maria who was trying to get Leia to come back to her. Reid walked slowly over to the cat and sat down next to the man who rocked a little faster. 

"Hello… My name is Spencer Reid. This is my cat Leia."

The man was humming to himself and it sounded familiar to Reid. He listened as the man rocked and stared at the wall. 

"Leia likes people. You can pet her if you want."

"Dr. Reid that'sTommy he's…"

"I know Sondra. Don't worry… I won't upset him." Reid looked up at Sondra who had approached them. She looked at the young agent for a moment then nodded her head and left the room. Maria was still trying to coax Leia back to her and the cat ignored her. 

Reid was ignoring Maria and listening to the music Tommy was humming under his breath as he rocked. It was so familiar. Damn… his stupid eidetic memory that didn't work as well with stuff he only heard. Leia was still staring atTommy with unblinking eyes.Tommy suddenly began to sing in a beautiful tenor voice. 

"Of course…" Reid said to him. "I should have known!" 


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/n hey... thanks again for all the lovely support of this story. You're all awesome!**_

_**Disclaimer: Only the new characters belong to me. No copyright infringement is intended with this posting.**_

The Fox and Bugle Club, just off DuPont Circle in Washington DC, were lightly populated in the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of a work week. Established in 1809, it was once a gentleman's club. Now the front lobby had a maitre'd station. At both sides of the room were black leather couches and matching easy chairs. The carpet was dark red and plush. There were portraits on the walls of several prominent politicians, celebrities and Presidents of the United States. Some of the portraits were painted and some were professional photographs. The walls were wood paneled in pine and stained a dark mahogany color. It was very masculine and a little oppressive despite the fact that it was no longer restricted to male membership. It was as though the influx of the fairer sex hadn't been noticed by the management, even after forty years. 

"Agent Hotchner… How good to see you again…"

The tall, thin, silver haired maitre'd bowed to the agent and gestured to the large dining room just inside the stone archway. The dining room was divided by glass partitions, and the black and red decoration theme was carried through to where several men and one couple were having lunch. 

Hotch followed the man through to a table at the back of the room, next to a blackened fireplace that was made from stone that matched the archway and was darkened by years of soot. It was large enough for an entire side of beef to be cooked at one time on the turn of the 19th century spit. There was a large black pot hanging from the spit and at the moment, the flames were out. It was charming in the winter with the golden-orange fire burning and the shadows dancing on the walls.

"Your guest… Mr. Thompson." The maitre'd said to the grey haired man sitting at the heavy oak wood table. 

"Thank you Victor…" The man said and Hotch nodded to him.Victor left them to their privacy. 

Hotch sat down in the large stained wooden chair directly across from the man he was meeting. Harold Thompson or Commonwealth's Attorney Thompson, was six foot six inches tall. He was nearly as lean as Reid. His coffee colored skin was several shades lighter than Morgan's and had a slight golden hue to it in the sunlight. His eyes were dark brown and had laugh lines around them despite the stress of the job he did. His suit was three piece and charcoal in color. He wore a black tie and shirt, and his silk handkerchief was matching black. 

"Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner… It's been a long time. You're looking well." Thompson said as they were approached by a waitress wearing black slacks, a white blouse and black tie. Her vest was black and the gold name tag gave her the unfortunate first name of Harriet. She was blond with blue eyes and a bright smile. 

She gave the two men menus, and water, and asked them if they wanted anything to drink. They both decided on iced tea with lemon. She left them to their conversation and Hotch responded to the man's greeting.

"Thanks Harry… I look a lot better than I feel." He admitted to his old friend. 

"Yes… I heard about Haley."

"Bad news travels fast," Hotch complained while opening his menu.

"This is Washington and you're a former prosecutor. Now you're an FBI agent at the head of his unit. What did you expect Aaron? How is Jack handling things?"

Hotch explained that his son was living with Haley and her sister. He glossed over the fact that Jack cried every time he left after a visit. He didn't say how it broke his heart every day to think about his son. He didn't tell his friend that although he would always love the mother of his son, he didn't like the person she had become over the last year.

"Do you expect me to believe that all is well Aaron?" Harry asked.

The waitress interrupted at this point and took their orders. Hotch used this time to collect his thoughts. He always thought the CA would make a great profiler. Harriet left with their orders and Hotch sighed before speaking.

"Harry, believe me when I tell you that it's for the best that Haley is gone. I only wish Jack didn't have to suffer."

"Alright… I'll leave it at that and get on to the reason you called me. I was dumbfounded to hear you tell me that we might actually have a chance at getting that son of a bitch once and for all."

"Yes… I couldn't believe it when my agent came to me with his suspicions today. You could have knocked me over with a feather."

"Can this Dr. Reid do it? Can he find something to put all of this to rest?"

Aaron put his glass of water back on the table after taking a sip. "He's one of the best profilers I've ever worked with, I trust him with my life, and more importantly with the lives of the residents of that institution."

"Good… I can't wait to hand down an indictment in court. It'll be a great way to end my career."

"So the rumors I have been hearing are true. You're retiring at the end of the year."

"Yes… you should really consider throwing your hat in the ring at election time. You could win Aaron. You could be the next CA of Virginia." 

Hotch picked up his glass of water again, and looked through the clear surface to the gold place mat on the dark stained table. "I'm not going back to the Prosecutor's office. I'm a profiler. It's my life, it's who I am."

Harry caught Hotch's eye and said seriously. "I know that Aaron. I just think you might find the hours a little better." He laughed at the look on Hotch's face. Hotch smiled and laughed as well. 

"Yeah… I guess your right. I'm stuck though, I love catching the bad guys. I love the people I work with."

"Same old Aaron Hotchner… You love the chase." Harry grinned at his friend and they laughed together. 

Harriet came back a few minutes later and they had their lunch. Hotch bid his friend goodbye after unsuccessfully fighting over who was going to pay for their meals. CA Thompson bid his friend goodbye and they headed back to their jobs. Hotch had just gotten into his car when his phone rang. He spoke briefly to the person and then dialed another familiar number. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reid recognized the tune that the young man was singing in his beautiful tenor voice. Leia and Maria seemed transfixed by the beauty of the song. Sondra stood listening and tears began to fall down her face. 

It was Mozart's Requiem. His voice was so beautiful, that Reid's mind began to hear the seven layers of music in the back ground that most people didn't take the time to hear. It was also his mother's favorite piece. His heart constricted, he wanted her to be able to hear this wonderful voice so badly. 

Time seemed to stop as the young man sang. Leia usually ran away when Reid put classical music on his Hi-Fi, but this time she jumped into the young man's lap. Tommy's rocking diminished, as though the music and the cat calmed the storms in his over stimulated brain. He began to stroke the top of Leia's head and she lay down on his legs, looking as though she never wanted to leave. 

When the requiem ended and the last note faded away, everyone in the room stood transfixed. Reid was about to ask the young man where he learned the song when JJ spoke from behind him. 

"Reid… I just got a call from the boss. He needs me back at work." She gave him a significant look when he turned to look at her.

"Oh… ah yeah… Tommy… It was nice to meet you. I have to take Leia now." He picked up the cat. He thought Tommy would react with anger, but the young man only looked at the ceiling. He said. "Bad man…"

"What…" Reid asked kindly. 

Dr. Lev stood behind JJ with a couple of other nurses including Wendell. "Bad man…" Tommy repeated, beginning to rock faster. 

"Take the patient back to his room." The doctor ordered.

"Tommy stay… bad man with squeaky walk…" The young man began to rock even faster. 

"Now wait just a minute." Reid said before the two nurses laid hands on the young man.Tommy erupted into a rage when they touched him. Leia jumped out of Reid's arms and ran out of the room. JJ swore like a sailor when Tommy shoved one nurse into her, and pandemonium erupted in the calm after a beautiful interpretation of musical genius. 


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/n hey all, here is the next chapter. Thanks all for your reviews and those who've added this to your alerts and favorites**_

_**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended with this posting. **_

"Now wait just a minute." Reid said before the two nurses laid hands on the young man. Tommy erupted into a rage. Leia jumped out of Reid's arms and ran out of the room. JJ swore like a sailor when Tommy fell against her and pushed her into a nurse. Pandemonium erupted in the calm after a beautiful interpretation of musical genius. 

JJ stumbled away from the second male nurse in the room. The man was so young that she wondered if he'd just been hired that day. Dr. Lev was shouting orders for Tommy to be restrained. She rubbed at her elbow while Reid spoke to the doctor, who was ignoring him. The nurses were trying to control the young man. A couple of guys that she supposed were aides, or orderlies had brought a gurney into the room and they manhandled the young patient onto it and strapped him down.

The small library was in shambles with books knocked off shelves in one corner of the room and the wooden chair that Tommy had been sitting in was on the floor. A vase of flowers on one table was shattered, and water spilt all over the floor before the men got Tommy restrained. They wheeled him out of the room, screaming and thrashing. 

Reid tried again to get the attention of the doctor, but the man left the room with the nurses and the young man on the gurney. 

"Spence… what the hell is going on." 

"Just a minute JJ," Reid went over to Maria who'd been knocked down in the exchange. He helped her to her feet with Sondra taking her other arm."

"Are you okay ma'am," He asked, helping her back to her walker.

"No… por Dios… Que tiene el doctor!" 

"Maria… Come with me… I'll look you over and make sure you haven't been hurt."

"Gracias Sondra," Maria leaned heavily on her walker as the nurse led her out of the little room. 

Suddenly it was just Reid and JJ standing there looking at each other. "Reid… what is going on?" JJ hissed. 

"I'll tell you later. We have to find Leia and get out of here before Hotch reads us the riot act." 

"Yeah… he said the case we have is pretty important." 

JJ followed him out of the room and they headed down the hallway to the nurses' station. No one seemed to be there, and he wondered if Tommy was ok.

"They're not going to keep him strapped down like that, are they?"

"No… His name is Tommy. He's autistic and can have what is called a rage when upset. They'll release him when they're sure he won't hurt himself or others. It shouldn't be more than a couple of hours." Reid told her as they looked down hallways and into the dining room used by the ambulatory patients.

"Where is that cat? We don't have time for this." JJ complained.

They turned down a corridor and heard a familiar meow in the distance. They hurried down the hallway and turned another corner. Leia was sitting by a door that was firmly closed to her. She batted a paw against the door and yowled again. 

"Leia… what are you doing?" Reid crouched and picked up the cat. 

She tried to leap back down out of his arms, but he held tightly to her till they got back to the reception area. She struggled again when he put her in the cat carrier. She spread all four of her legs against the carrier and hissed. JJ tried not to laugh, but in her mind she could imagine what Leia might be saying to Reid in her own cat-like way. The words "eff off" came to mind and she lost the battle with her laughter. She watched her boyfriend struggle with the cat, and decided that trying to help would only get her scratched or bitten. She backed off, and listed to the yowls and hissed from the pissed off cat. She thought that the cat could probably be heard all over the lobby and the reception area, as Reid wrestled her into the carrier. He finally got the very unhappy cat into the kennel and shut the door. They were about to leave when a voice spoke up from behind them. 

"Thank you Dr. Reid." Sondra called. The turned to see that Sondra was back her post. 

"Is Maria alright?" Reid wanted to know. 

Sondra smiled, "Yes… don't worry about her. She'll have a few bruises, but there are no broken bones."

"Good… Is Tommy alright, he seemed very upset?

"Dr. Reid… You seemed to know that Tommy is autistic, so you know that some of the things he says aren't clear. I don't know why he was so upset, but I am angry that Dr. Stevens was so rough with him. I'm going to speak to Dr. Atkinson about it."

"Oh… well thanks for the information the doctor gave my wife about your residence." 

"Yeah…thanks… Come on Spence… We need to get Leia back home." Leia was yowling and JJ was yanking on one of his hands, so they left the building. 

"Come on… let's get Leia back to your place and into work before we're fired." JJ said pulling him along to his car.

They headed back to Reid's place with the angry, spitting, and hissing cat. Reid was relieved when they got back to his apartment. Mrs. Warburton was just coming out of her place when they were unlocking the door. 

"Dr. Reid… Is Leia ok…?" She asked walking slowly over to them.

"Yeah… she's a little upset with me. She hates that carrier and now I have to get back to work."

Reid held the kennel as far away from him as he could without braining JJ who was next to him. The cat was hissing angrily, and he was sure he was going to pay for this day in someway.

"I'll take care of her." Mrs. Warburton told him.

"No… I can't let you do that. I might be going out of town again, and I already told you that I was going to find someone else -"

"Don't worry about me. I love this cat. Give her to me!"

JJ was suffering from suppressed laughter at the way Spencer was ordered around by a very small, very old woman.

"Hello JJ… I didn't see you there. Why don't you help me get Leia settled while your man gets his bag?" Mrs. Warburton winked at JJ, and the younger woman followed her into her apartment, leaving Reid standing the hall feeling ambushed by three females.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reid and JJ were the last to board the plane. Hotch had been very understanding over their troubles at the nursing home. Morgan had laughed at the abbreviated version of the story. Emily only wanted to know about Tommy and his musical abilities, which sent Reid off on a long winded explanation of the differences and similarities of Autistic Savants.

The plane was headed to Portland Maine. The BAU was being asked to look into the case of a serial rapist and murderer who was kidnapping young successful women in their late twenties and thirties.

They were met at the airport by the lead detective on the case Maury Hansen. He was about five seven , medium build, with coffee colored skin and lively dark brown eyes that had been made sober by the terrible deaths the women were suffering.

"You said on the phone that the women were found in public parks." JJ asked the detective, who was about forty and had never seen anything this brutal in his career.

"Yes… he manages to dump them without being seen. They are fully clothed and wrapped in plastic, as though he wants to protect them from the elements." 

"That's a sign of remorse. Someone that didn't care about these women would just dump them nude in some remote location, or in a landfill, or someplace where the elements or animals would dispense with their remains." Morgan said, looking at the photos in his file.

"All of them have very dark hair and eyes. He has a very specific type that he likes. Maybe he's punishing someone from his past that abused him." Reid added. 

"We need to see the latest dump sight." Rossi interjected. 

"That's where we're going now." The detective explained as they headed into the darkening afternoon light. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I need you to get your best man on this. I need to know what he was doing in here." The man said into the phone. "I don't care how much it costs or what you have to do. I want to know what an FBI agent was doing in here. I don't like being fed a lie by undercover agents." He slammed the phone down and left the room.

He hurried down the hallway to a door at the end of the corridor. The stairs were concrete and his shoes echoed off them as he nearly ran down them to the basement. He flipped on a light and headed down another corridor to a second door. The door was metal and hermetically sealed. There was only one way to get in, with a code entered into the key pad next to the door. 

The door swung open with a hiss and then shut behind him, plunging the world around him into silence. The hallway was metal and shaped like a long tube. He hurried down it and into another chamber at the end of the perfectly clean hall. 

The man in the room was strapped to a gurney. He was just coming out of unconsciousness as the man entered the room. "Now… it's time for some answers and you're going to give them to me." The man told his captive. 

_**A/n the translation of the Spanish phrase Maria uses is "Oh God, what is the matter with the doctor." I speaka little Spanish, and have relied on my own translation. not a website, so please forgive any mistakes. **_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/n hey all, thanks as always to my loyal readers for all your wonderful feedback. **_

_**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine but the characters I make up.**_

"Tell me what I want to know and I'll let you go!" The man demanded.

"Bad man… bad man…" Tommy wailed.

The man placed his right hand on Tommy's left arm and the young man tried to twist away. The leather straps holding him to the table wouldn't allow him to move very much. Bright lights were directly above his head, shining into his eyes and blinding him.

"Light… make the light go away. Tommy doesn't like the light. Bad man… Bad man…" Tommy wailed, flinching away from the man that held him at bay with one hand.

The pain of the man's light touch was agony in his brain. This was not allowed. Touching hurt, but the man standing over him wouldn't stop.

"Tommy… I can make all the pain go away if you tell me about the tall man that was talking to you. You don't have family Tommy. Why was the tall man talking to you?"

"Don't know tall man. Tommy doesn't know why bad man hurt Tommy!"

"I'm not a bad man, you little…" He was shouting and he didn't like to shout. If you couldn't resolve your problems without shouting, then you weren't civilized. He lowered his tone, but kept his hand on the young man's arm.

"Tommy… I just want to know who your new friend was. You see… I think he was lying when he came into see our home. It's very important that I talk to the tall man again Tommy."

Tommy tried so hard to push the pain and the voice of the man out of his head, but the bad man kept talking to him and talking to him.

"Cat…" He spit out. "Tommy likes the cat!" Would this satisfy the bad man? He didn't know what the bad man wanted. Who was the tall man? Tommy remembered a voice and dark eyes. Kind eyes that knew he didn't like the touching hands. How did the man know this? No one else understood.

"No…. Tommy I don't care about that beastly animal. It was a dirty, filthy little creature." His voice was rising again and that was not good.

He slapped Tommy's face and the boy began to buck underneath the bindings that held him to the gurney. "Tell me Tommy… What did the tall man ask you? No one ever visits you. Why was he talking to you?"

"Bad man… you go away now. Tommy will not talk to the bad man. Go now!" He thrashed as hard as he could.

The man slapped him again. "We'll start again. You'll tell me what I want to know!"

* * *

The team entered Sunset Park just outside the city limits of Portland. They had parked the two vehicles they were using at the north end of the parking lot. They hiked up a large grassy hill and down the other side to a picnic area. The grass was still a little yellow from the winter. There were patches of snow in places, and the wind was cold. Reid blew on his hands and Morgan smacked him playfully on the shoulder.

"When are you going to invest in better gloves?"

The old pair Reid wore had holes all over them.

"Can we just look at the crime scene," Reid grumbled. In fact, it didn't matter what gloves he wore, they had to exchange them for latex protective gloves at the crime scene.

The yellow crime scene tape was bright in the fading gloom of twilight. The sky was purple overhead and the moon could be seen. Bright lights had been set up around the scene and the CSI team was still working on collecting evidence. The yellow letters on the backs of their jackets seemed to glow in the light.

"The body of Micheala Gerard had been found here wrapped in a clear plastic tarp." Detective Hansen pointed to the table closest to the hill they had just walked down. "She was fully dressed, but her shoes were missing just like the rest of the victims. There have been six other victims besides Ms. Gerard. There are six other crime scenes. Do you want to see them all tonight?" The detective was looking as though he hoped the answer was no, but also that he knew it had to be done.

"No… it's getting late. We'll start with the other crime scenes in the morning." Hotch said.

Rossi noticed that Reid was frowning down at the table, which was empty of its grisly cargo. "This guy has to be from around here. It's pretty bold to just leave a body. He doesn't seem to care that he could be seen leaving them. He has to be pretty big and strong too. He carried over a hundred pounds of dead weight into the park."

"He could have driven onto the lawn with his car." The detective said.

"It don't think so, the files don't mention finding any tracks. There's mud and snow all over the path to the tables," Emily observed.

"Alright… let's get some rest," Hotch said.

They left the park and the bright lights of the CSI Team. The hill blocked the evidence of a terrible crime from them as they headed back to the SUVs that had brought them to this dumping ground.

* * *

The hotel JJ had booked for them was about five miles from the last crime scene. JJ followed Reid to his room. The hotel was new enough to require key cards. Reid fumbled with his, getting it in upside down, and then the wrong way around.

"Honestly Spence… You have a big brain and three PhDs, but you can't work the key card!" JJ chided him good-naturedly.

Reid went pink in the cheeks. "Geniuses sometimes have trouble with the simple things. It makes us interesting."

JJ burst out laughing and he was happy to see some of the worry and un-happiness that had taken up residence in her eyes retreat a bit.

"Don't laugh… I'm serious…" He told her as she deftly inserted the key card and opened the door with a flourish and a bow. "Your palace awaits your highness."

Reid snorted out laughter as the light came on. "I highly doubt that."

He dropped his bag on the queen sized bed standing at one side of the room. The spread was a cream colored comforter with a dark brown throw blanket folded at the foot of the bed. The carpet matched the throw blanket.

The dresser across the room from the bed was stained a very dark brown. A television sat in one corner of the room, and there was a wooden table stained to match the dresser in the other corner with three chairs around it. The opposite end of the room held a desk that matched the dresser and the table. There was a chair in front of it and stationary with the hotel's name on the blotter.

Reid kissed JJ goodnight and she left for her own room. Reid pulled a pair of dark blue and white checked pajama bottoms and a white tee shirt out of his bag, and changed while listening to the news on the television. They talked about the murder cases and there was the usual accusation that the police and FBI weren't doing enough to solve the mystery.

He sat at the desk and tried to concentrate on the case, but his mind kept going back to Sleeping Pines and Tommy. The young man was trying to tell him something. The song and the reference to someone in the room as "the bad man," it didn't make sense. Why did Tommy trust him so quickly when they were virtual strangers? Did it have something to do with his cat? Was it something else?

"Okay Spencer… Concentrate on the case at hand."

There were seven victims so far all dumped in seven different locations.

_Mozart's Requiem has seven layers of music that most people don't notice._

"Stop thinking about Sleeping Pines… You have a job to do here."

Yeah that was true, but he also needed to sleep. He couldn't sleep till he figured out what was happening here.

He pulled out the map and began to try and put together a geographical profile. The face of Tommy and the faces of the doctor and two male nurses invaded his thoughts. Had Tommy seen one of them doing something to Stella Hutchinson, or someone else? Was there anything wrong there, or was it all the imagination of an ill woman?

He got up to pace in front of his bed. The women had disappeared at the same time of day. They were on their way home from work. Their cars were found abandoned with body damage. The doors were unlocked, and their purses and cell phones were in the passenger seat. Only one car had any kind of evidence. The first one had a bit of blood on the door. The detectives figured that he was careless and nervous and Reid agreed. God… this was getting him nowhere, and what if this man took another victim while he was going around in circles?

Someone knocked at the door, startling him so that he stubbed his toe on the desk. He hopped over to the door cursing whoever it was on the other side. He looked out the peephole and opened the door.

JJ stood on the other side dressed in a pair of pink pajamas bottoms and a white tee shirt with a picture of Tweety Bird on it. "Hey Spence," She stood up on tip toe to kiss him and he pulled her into the room.

"What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to get some sleep. I thought we agreed not to share rooms on a case." Reid reminded her.

"I don't care what Hotch thinks. I miss you. We haven't slept in the same bed for weeks."

"That's good enough for me." Reid said wrapping her up in his arms.

* * *

JJ was lying on her side looking at Reid who was facing her. His hair was all messed up and he looked adorable, all flushed and bright eyed. "What are you thinking?" He asked her, seeing the grin on her face. "That you're cute and all mine." JJ responded.

"What a coincidence, I feel the same way about you." He reached out and pulled her up close to him.

"Good… because you're never getting rid of me."

* * *

The man wheeled the unconscious Tommy into his room and removed the restraints he used while questioning the young man. Getting the young man into the bed in the second room off the living room was no easy task. He had to hurry though it was late and it wouldn't do for him to be seen here at that hour. The nurses would be doing their rounds in a few minutes, so he needed to be gone.

He left the young man's room and traveled down the corridor, He went around a corner, then straight on and to the right at the next intersection of hallways. He used his key to enter the room of a patient. He left several minutes later. He took the back way out of the building and jogged to his car that he'd parked at the back of the lot where it wouldn't be noticed and left.

The moon had come out full and it looked down on two faces inside the wall of Sleeping Pines . One that was unconscious but not marked. The man had been careful. The other face was old and full of years lived. It was also peaceful in death!


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/n hello all. Here is the next chapter. Thank so much to all my reviewers. You make me smile and laugh with your comments. I look forward to reading them.**_

_**Disclaimer: I keeping hoping, but I still don't own the show. **_

JJ was the first to wake up the next morning, which didn't surprise her. Reid was very reluctant to wake up in the best of circumstances. Usually… Leia was the only one that could get him out of bed before six am. Well… she was not going to stick her nose in his face and lick his neck… On second thought licking his neck could be fun.

_No… you need to get back to your room before everyone else wakes up. Why didn't I book rooms for us on separate floors? _

She turned over, and then stretched, before getting out of bed and searching for the pajamas she'd worn so briefly the night before. Her pajama bottoms were under the bed for some reason. Reid murmured softly and she froze while putting one leg into her pajamas. He turned over and was silent. She finished putting on the pajama bottoms. Then she went looking for her tee-shirt After slipping into the garment, which she'd found thrown across the room, she bent over the kissed Reid on the forehead.

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She got out the door without waking him and down the hall to her room. She was about to open the door to her hotel room, when another door opened and Hotch exited. He looked impeccable as always, in a charcoal grey suit, a blindingly white shirt, and a dark blue tie with tiny white dots at the knot. His shoes were shined to mirror sheen.

"Good morning, JJ…" He said, looking like he needed coffee more than she did.

"Ah… hi… Nice morning isn't it."

_Very slick JJ… You're supposed to be the hot shot communications liaison for the team and all you can say is "Nice morning," to the boss. _

"Yeah…it's a great morning."

She never could tell if he was being sarcastic or not. He had a poker face that could sometimes fool Reid into losing a game on the plane.

"I'll see you down in the conference room they set up for us. Is Reid awake yet?"

"No… he's still sleeping and…"

_Well you stepped right into that one, didn't you?"_

"Get dressed and call him. I'll see you two downstairs."

"Right…" She unlocked the door with as much dignity as she could muster and entered her room. She missed the tiny smile that crossed Hotch's face before it closed down again.

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Reid was drinking the hotel coffee like it was water. Hotch was looking at the case file. Morgan was talking to Emily, and Rossi was watching all of them when JJ came into the conference room the hotel had set up for them.

"Sorry I'm late." She sat as far away from Reid as was possible and still be in the same room. He looked at her and she shook her head.

"Alright… We're splitting up today. We have six other crime scenes to visit. Morgan and Emily I need you two at Highland Park and Lost Creek Park. The victims in those cases were Marie Sutton and Jane McReynolds. They were the first and second victims. Dave, you and Reid will go to Hillcrest Valley Memorial Park, and Mayflower Park. The victims were Darcy Baker and Judy Hansen. JJ and I will go to Fountain Green Park and The Sweetheart Park. We'll deal with Kelly Burton and Marci Anderson."

They split up for their assignments and headed out to the SUVs. Reid sat next to Rossi in the SUV the senior agent was driving, and tried to concentrate on the case at hand. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something important had been forgotten or overlooked. Dealing with the possibility of two perplexing mysteries at the same time was challenging to say the least.

"… Looking for another victim as we speak… Hey Reid… you with me here," Rossi inquired.

Reid looked up at the older agent. "Sorry Dave… I was just thinking…"

"Does this happen to have anything to do with why you and JJ disappeared for most of the morning yesterday?

"No…" Reid said a bit too loudly. Rossi only looked confused and Reid back pedaled fast. "I mean… we had a project we were working on that was okay with Hotch."

"You don't have to worry about me… I'm not going to tattle to the boss. You're a responsible and dependable young man. If it was important to you, then I'm sure it's worthwhile. Don't let it distract you. Let it help you with what you have to do now. Sometimes concentrating on one problem can help clear your mind to find the solution to another."

Reid thought about this for the rest of the trip to the first crime scene they were going to visit. "One of my neighbors thinks there's an angel of death at her friend's nursing home." He said suddenly and in a hurried rush as though he couldn't believe that he'd let a little old lady fool him.

"Is she a substance abuser, or mentally impaired." Rossi asked bluntly.

"No… she's a retired school teacher."

"That's good enough for me! Tell me about what she thinks might be going on there."

Reid explained what Esther had told him. "So… Am I crazy to let a little old lady lead my around by the nose, as it were."

"No… You said you talked to Hotch and he's supporting you. I think you should look into it."

They parked the SVU a minute later in the parking lot and walked to the first crime scene. "Ok… Darcy Baker was the third victim. She was employed as real estate agent for Century 22 realty. She was there most successful agent. She was single and thirty years old."

They got to the picnic table where she was dumped. It looked just like the one in the other park they had visited the night before. It was at the foot of a large hill. Like the other park, the table was apart from the main part of the park. Large pines surrounded the area of the table and there was a charcoal grill mounted into a cement slab.

Reid was staring at the table when Rossi waved a hand in front of his face. "Hey Reid… you day dreaming again?"

"What… no, I'm just remembering something about the other crime scene photos. I need to call Garcia. Let's go to the next crime scene." He hurried away to the SUV while Dave followed at a slower pace, grinning like mad at the back of the eager young profiler. Once, he'd had that much energy for the job. Where had it gone?

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Esther Warburton, former high school teacher turned cat baby sitter, hobbled from her kitchen to the living room. Her sofa was the only thing she'd brought with her after her husband died and she had to sell her home. It was chenille fabric the same color as espresso coffee. The coffee table was oval shaped glass that was polished up to a mirror shine. There were several coffee table books full of pictures of landscapes and other photography. Several of the books were black and white photos, which were her favorite. The carpet was the standard apartment beige. There was a large, forest green throw rug under the coffee table that covered the floor all the way under the sofa, to just in front of the walls.

A mahogany stained book case took up half of one wall. She had almost as many books as Reid did in his apartment. She had a secret love of trashy romance novels. Of course there were several classics bound in leather from the likes of Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, and others along with several books on history, science and philosophy.

Leia sat on the small ottoman at one end of the couch. It matched the couch in color and fabric and it was where Esther sat to watch her favorite soap opera in the afternoon. She set a plate on the floor next to the couch. Leia leaped down and attacked the tuna as though she hadn't eaten in weeks.

"You better not tell Spencer about this. I don't think he'd appreciate the way I've been spoiling you." She scratched the cats head while Leia ignored her for the fish. "I know he takes good care of you, but I don't think he thinks of things like a saucer of cream now does him."

Leia finished the fish and meowed at her baby sitter. "No… you've had enough. Let's turn on Days of our Lives and see what the good people of Salem are up to today."

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"What did you find out about Dr. Spencer Reid and Jennifer Jareau?"

"_They're FBI agents."_

"I know that… Don't be flippant! What else did you find out about them?"

"_Don't shout at me… You said you wanted to know everything there was to know about them._

"Don't you tell me not to shout. You remember who you are and that I pay the bills!"

There was a very long silence on the other end of the line before the other man spoke quietly and respectfully to his boss.

"_Dr. Reid is some kind of wunderkind. He's a genius and has a -what do you call it- photographic memory. He's the youngest profiler they've ever hired._

"A profiler… that's just what we need snooping around here. Why did he come here?

"_I don't know, but I do know where he lives. He's a neighbor to that nosy old Esther Warburton."_

"Who…"

"_She's the woman that caused that scene when the Hutchinson crone bought it." _

"Oh right… What about her?"

"_She lives right next door to Dr. Reid."_

"Really… that's useful, very useful…"

"_I also found out that Dr. Reid has a mother in a mental institution in Nevada."_

"Well… this just keeps getting better and better."

"_What do you want me to do?"_

"I think we need to make sure that Dr. Reid stays out of our business. Do it!"

The man shut his phone and pocketed it. One way or the other, he'd take care of the nosy feds and that nosy old retired school teachers!


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/n hey everyone. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it!**_

_**Disclaimer: If I owned them, there would be anew episode tonight. **_

Esther Warburton put her coffee cup and the saucer Leia had used into the cupboard. She was lucky to still have the energy and mobility, to cook and clean, and make her own meals. She didn't have to live in a place like Stella had. Thinking about Stella made tears begin to leak from her eyes. She should have taken care of Stella. They were best friends and she let her down. She looked over at Leia who was sitting at one end of the kitchen watching Esther clean up after dinner.

"I should have taken care of my friend."

Leia only looked at her with her bright blue eyes. "Don't say that it wasn't my fault. I should have looked after her after she lost her husband. She had such a hard life, losing two children to polio, and then the third with his wife and kids to a plane crash. It's not right that she had so many things go wrong in her life and mine was so easy."

Leia meowed at her, and stared harder at her babysitter. "You're looking at me like your master might look at me at this very moment. I think you've been spending too much time with profilers." She sniffed and then laughed at her own foolishness. Here she was talking to the cat as if it could understand her.

"Okay… let's go sit for awhile."

She limped heavily on her cane to the living room. The pain in her knee was worse that night. It was going to rain in the morning, she was sure of it. The couch seemed a long way away. Tears were still running down her cheeks. She had to believe that Spencer would find out something to prove that Stella was murdered.

The couch was very comfortable when she made it into the living room and sat down. Leia jumped up next to her and sat looking like a statue of the cats the ancient Egyptians used to worship. The cat's eyes were fixed on her, and Esther was sure that the cat knew what she was thinking.

"Ok… So it wasn't my fault that she died. I just wish we had more time."

Leia crawled into her lap and Mrs. Warburton began petting her. The cat was purring loudly in no time at all. The clock ticking on the shelf added it's rhythm to the only sounds Esther could hear as she thought about her friend and all of the good times they'd had together.

"She was the strongest person I knew. She never let the Parkinson's get her down. She did everything the doctors told her to do. She took her medication. How could this happen, Leia?" Leia only purred contentedly.

The door bell buzzed and Leia jumped down off of her lap to run to the door. She swished her tail back and forth, and meowed loudly.

"I don't know who that could be." Esther got slowly to her feet. The bell sounded again when she was half way to the door. "I'm coming, hold your horses." She called out.

She looked out the peephole and saw a man in a navy blue suit and tie standing at her door. "Who's there," She called.

"Special Agent Alfred Marsh, I'm here at the request of Dr. Reid and the FBI."

"Oh… is he okay?"

"I'd like to talk about that inside if you don't mind."

"I want to see your badge please."

He held up the badge, and it looked just like the one that Spencer had shown her on the day he moved in She remembered being a little star struck to think that an FBI agent was living in her building.

"Just a minute," She told him. She unlocked the door and he stepped into the apartment. "Please come in and sit down."

She turned her back to the man. She heard Leia yowling and hissing before something came around her mouth, and a foul smelling something made everything go dark.

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The team regrouped at the police station in downtown Portland. JJ was on the phone with a reporter from the Portland Sun Times. Emily, Morgan and Hotch were discussing their perceptions of the crime scenes they had visited.

Reid walked over to the map on the wall and went back to work on the geographical profile. "I think I got the information I needed to make this work," He said to JJ who'd finished her phone call and asked him how their trip had gone.

"I just got off the phone with Bud Wallace. He said he just received a letter from someone claiming responsibility for the deaths."

"Really… does Hotch know?" He asked his eye lighting up like stars.

"No… I'm going to tell him right now.

Hotch gathered them together after JJ told him what had just happened. "The reporter is faxing us a copy of the letter. The police have the original and their bringing it in for analysis."

"Why contact the media?" Emily wondered.

"He wants to get caught." Rossi said.

"Yes… He does," Hotch agreed.

"Let's not disappoint him, "Morgan mused while looking once more at the pictures in front of him.

The door to the conference room opened and Detective Hansen entered looking very harried, but also excited. "Here's the copy of the letter he sent the media."

He handed the fax copy to Hotch and they all sat down to listen to what the suspect had to say.

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Sondra entered Tommy's room and found the young man sitting in the corner of his bedroom. He was facing the wall and banging his head against it.

"Tommy…" She said in as even a tone as she could. "What's wrong Tommy?" The man kept banging his head on the wall in a soft, thumping rhythm. Her hands wanted to touch him and pull him away from the wall, but it would only make things worse.

"Tommy… I promise that I won't touch you." She moved further into the room and sat on the unmade bed. There were pictures on the wall in front of her that he'd drawn. His talents didn't end with having the voice of an angel. He was also a very gifted artist.

"What happened to you Tommy? Did someone hurt you?"

"Shoes… don't like the shoes…"

"My shoes… you don't like my shoes. I think they're very comfortable." Sondra looked down at her shoes. They were white, with crepe soles. They weren't very exciting to look at, but they were comfortable.

"Not white shoes… don't like black shoes. Bad man wears black shoes." He wasn't hitting his head on the wall anymore, but he was rocking back and forth as though he were in an invisible rocking chair.

"Tommy… can you tell me who upset you?"

Tommy rocked and rocked, but he didn't say anything else. Sondra sat with him until he stopped rocking. She watched him take his drawing pad out and grab a charcoal pencil. He sat at such an angle while drawing that she couldn't see what it was that he was working on without getting closer. He wouldn't like it if she moved any closer. Maybe when he was finished, he would let her see it before he hung it on his wall.

"Tommy… I'm going to go now. Will you let me see the drawing when you're finished with it?"

"Nurse Lady goes now." He replied.

"Ok… I'll go now and leave Tommy alone with his drawings." She assured him.

Tommy ignored her and began to sketch on his pad. He started to hum another tune that Sondra wasn't familiar with and she wished that nice Dr. Reid was there. He seemed to have a way with Tommy and so did the cat, come to think of it.

She left his room hoping that one day she would be able to understand his complicated language of odd comments, pictures and music. What had he meant by bad man and ugly shoes? Was it something to do with the abuse his father had subjected him to when he was a child? That man deserved a beating of his own. Instead he was still out there somewhere, living his life as though he wasn't a monster.

She turned down the corridor and ran into someone. "Oh… sorry… I wasn't watching where I was going."

He bent down to pick up the files he was carrying. "I can see that. Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I'm just doing my rounds. I'm concerned about Tommy."

The man in front of her was the administrator, Dr. Walter Atkinson. "What's the matter?"

"He was banging his head on the wall just a minute ago. I sat down and talked to him for a minute. He's drawing now."

"It seems like you did the right thing, but if you want I can go see him."

"No… I don't think you need to Dr. Atkinson."

"Alright… I trust your judgment. You're the best nurse we have here."

He patted her shoulder. "Thanks Dr Atkinson… I guess I just feel like he's part of my family."

"He is part of our family."

"Look, I really have to get back to work," She said, turning to leave. There was a file that Dr. Atkinson had neglected to pick up at her feet. She hunched down to pick it up and noticed that he was wearing highly polished black loafers!


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/n hello all… Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks again for all of your lovely and thoughtful reviews**_

_**Same Disclaimer applies! **_

Sondra jerked her gaze back up to Dr. Atkinson's face. Was he the one that had done something to hurt Tommy? Was that even possible? Dr. Atkinson was the one responsible for building the home in the first place. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that. There had to be a lot of people that wore black shoes. Tommy was just confused, wasn't he?

"Sondra… Are you alright," Dr. Atkinson asked the flustered nurse.

"Yes… of course I am… I'm just late for rounds. I really need to get to work." She prayed that the doctor didn't see her nervousness.

Dr. Atkinson had deep blue eyes and white hair. His lined face with its carefully groomed beard and moustache had always inspired trust in his employees and her, but now…

"Your hard work here is appreciated," He said in his deep, mellow voice. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and she just managed not to flinch away from him. "You're one of our best employees Sondra."

She gave him a wide, fake smile and he let go of her arm. "I'll let you get back to your duties." She watched him walk away, and almost fainted with relief when he rounded the corner out of sight.

"Sondra Jackson… Get a hold of yourself this minute," She scolded. "There's nothing wrong here. Tommy is high strung and you know how hard it is to make sense of his speech."

She started back down the hall to the next resident on her rounds. The fright that Dr. Atkinson had given her was going away, but there was still something nagging at the back of her head.

She turned another corner and knocked on a resident's door before going inside. "Good afternoon Mr. Cohen. How are you today…" Her voice trailed off as the door shut behind her.

He stepped around the corner and watched the door to Mr. Cohen's room swing slowly shut behind the nurse. She was suspicious of him. He had seen it in her eyes every time they had met in the last day or so. This wouldn't do at all. He hadn't worked this hard his whole life to get where he was to be stopped by a nurse of all people. It was time for him to get exactly what he deserved, and he wouldn't be stopped by the idiot or Sondra Jackson.

However, now was not the time to panic? He would keep an eye on both of them, and if it was necessary, he would take action to make sure that his plans weren't interrupted. He was almost done anyway, soon he would be able to leave all of this behind him and be happy.

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Hotch took the copy of the un-sub's letter from Detective Hansen. The detective sat down at the conference table with the rest of the agents and listened as Agent Hotchner read the letter out loud.

Mr. Bud Wallace,

I am the harbinger of death in this city. I am the angel of death. I was sent here to punish those people who hurt the innocent.

There have been seven that have been punished. There are seven more that I will send to their eternal punishment.

I will not be stopped in this mission. The police have brought in the FBI and they will not stop me. I will do what has to be done.

Print this in your newspaper, Mr. Bud Wallace. I will show the city of Portland Maine that the evildoers can not escape the wrath of the avenging angel.

I am the Arch Angel Michael.

Hotch looked up at the team at the closing of the letter at his team. JJ looked confused. Emily looked very put off by the tone. The men were all thoughtful except for Reid, who looked almost white faced with a green tinge. JJ reached under the table and took his hand. He squeezed it so tightly, she almost winced in pain, but didn't draw away. He gave her a tiny smile and she winked at him.

"Well that is just great… we have another religious fanatic on our hands." Morgan said.

"Or someone that wants us to think they are a religious fanatic." Rossi observed.

"What do you mean," JJ asked, still clutching Reid's hand.

"The letter strikes me as someone that is using religion as an excuse for what he's doing."

"Dave's right," Reid cut in. His face was returning to its normal pale color. He let go of JJ's hand and shot her a quick look. "The language is very precise. It's like he's trying to imitate the language you might find in a religious text, but he's obviously not been to a seminary, or had any religious training outside of a basic Christian upbringing.

He speaks in the first person the way you would see in a Bible verse. An example is "I Am that I Am," Exodus 3:14. Moses asked God for his name and that was the response he got. He says he's the Archangel Michael but Michael is seen as the General or field commander of the Army of God. He is a protector and advocate for God's children. The un-sub is mocking him by using his name. He just wants attention."

"Reid is right," Rossi said. "He's looking for attention. It took the deaths of seven women to get the attention of the BAU, and now he wants us to name him and make him famous. I think we should tell Bud Wallace not to print the letter."

The rest of the team agreed with Rossi. JJ got back on the phone with Wallace to convince him not to print the letter. He agreed on the condition that he got the exclusive when they apprehended the un-sub. Hotch assigned Rossi and Reid to look at the handwriting and the language again. The rest of the team split up to talk to family and employers of the victims.

Reid was in the middle of trying to mesh what they knew of the un-sub and what they had come up with on a geographical profile when his phone rang.

"Reid," He said distractedly.

"Agent Reid… this is Detective Carlisle of Arlington VA."

"What can I do for you Detective," His attention was pulled from the file in front of him. Why was he getting a call from his own local police department?"

"Dr. Reid… we were called in on a disturbance at Alpine Creek Apartments earlier this afternoon."

"But that's my apartment complex," Reid squeaked. "Is there anything wrong," He asked inanely.

"Your next door neighbor has gone missing."

"What… Mrs. Warburton is missing. Detective what is going on?" He demanded.

"The neighbors were complaining about something that sounded like a screaming child or woman. Officers responded to your neighbor's apartment, and they found a very excited cat running around and yowling. The cat scratched one of my men." The detective sounded a little amused and angry at the same time.

"Ah yeah… the cat is mine. Mrs. Warburton takes care of her when I'm in the field." He apologized.

"Yes… well the cat was alone here. We know from the super that Mrs. Warburton lives alone and that she's a senior citizen. Her car is in its parking space and no one has seen her leave."

"So you're looking at foul play?" Reid asked. Fear was beginning to push adrenaline through his veins like ice water.

"We don't know, but as you're her neighbor and the super said the cat belongs to you…"

"I understand… Detective… I have an idea about this. I'm on a case right now, but I'll try to give you what information I have."

Reid outlined his "investigation," at Sleeping Pines and everything that Mrs. Warburton had told him about the nursing home. He gave the detective his own impression of the facility.

"Do you think that something is going on there Dr. Reid?"

"I don't know. I only know what my gut tells me."

"You're the profiler Dr. Reid."

"I'm going to put you in touch with Quantico and our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia. She can give you all the info you need on the nursing home."

"Ok Dr. Reid… Keep in touch. Animal Control has taken the cat to the shelter. I'll call them and let them know that she belongs to you. They'll take care of her. "

Reid hung up his cell phone and noticed that Rossi was observing him carefully. "I'm sorry… I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Reid explained to him what the detective in Arlington had told him. "I don't know what to think. She's a little old lady that plays bingo on Wednesday and bridge on Thursday. She has two kids that are on the other side of the country. She knits socks, and blankets, and watches soap operas.

"I think you should talk to Hotch. If we can spare you, I think you should go back to Virginia."

"Dave…"

"Just talk to Hotch," Dave told him. "He'll help you."

"Okay…"

Reid tried to concentrate on the case at hand, but kept thinking of Mrs. Warburton. She wouldn't go anywhere and leave Leia alone in the apartment. Something had to be wrong!

Hotch and the others returned to the precinct a couple of hours later as it was getting dark outside. Reid took Hotch aside and told him what happened to Mrs. Warburton.

"I don't know if there's anything really wrong but…"

"Reid." Hotch said leading the younger man away to an interrogation room down the hall. "There's something I better tell you."


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/n hey everyone. Here's the next chapter for you. Thank you all again for reading and commenting. Reviews make me smile.**_

_**Disclaimer: It's still the same as always. **_

"Reid." Hotch said leading the younger man away to an interrogation room down the hall. "There's something I better tell you."

Reid followed his boss into the small and utilitarian room. It was like hundreds of other rooms of its kind with a large, two way mirrors on the left wall and a metal table in the center. There were three chairs around the battered table. The tile on the floor was light gray. It was scuffed and scraped by the shoes of police officers and suspects over the years. Reid's shoes were quiet, they didn't squeak like the tiny noises coming from his bosses shoes. The lack of anything but the sounds from shoes on old tile, was giving him the shivers.

Hotch took one chair and watched Reid sit in the other chair. "I have some information about what might be happening with your investigation in Sleeping Pines."

He saw the confusion on the young man's face and a twinge of guilt fired through him for not being up front with the agent. There was just too much that had happened before Reid's neighbor had gotten him involved.

"Ok… I don't understand but…"

"When I was in the prosecutor's office in Virginia, I worked for ACA Harold Thompson."

"You mean CA Thompson." Reid voice began to take on a bit of a squeak.

"Yes… He was born in California and grew up in Illinois. He went to Yale and his career started back in Illinois. He was an ADA there too, just fifteen years ago. There was a doctor in the area that was working in a nursing home. There were several unexplained deaths that occurred there, too. It was found that the patients had all left their money to this doctor in their wills. They were all women without families, until the last one. She had one son that tried to contest the will and it came out that while she had Alzheimer's, she wasn't terminal. It was determined that all of the women that died were cremated so none of them could be autopsied, including the last one. Now Harry had his suspicions, but couldn't prove anything. The doctor left the nursing home and came to Virginia where it happened again and now he's in a third nursing home. I know this man, and he knows me, which is why I didn't want to tell you what I knew until there was sufficient proof to get the warrants we need.

Reid sat stunned, not knowing what to say to his boss. He wanted to be mad that Hotch had been tight lipped, but it seemed like Hotch had a good reason for what he had done by leaving Reid and JJ out of the loop for this investigation.

"You said that the doctor knows you," Reid said.

"Yes, I was young and more idealistic. I went in there without a warrant and the judge let him go on that technicality. It was my fault for not playing by the rules." Hotch said with a rueful smile. "If I seem at times to have my tie knotted a little too tight, it's because I know the importance of doing this job the right way."

The anger that had been building in Reid was deflated and he suddenly had the urge to laugh. "How did you know that Morgan jokes about you needing to loosen your tie a bit?" He blurted out without thinking.

Hotch wanted to laugh at the flush that swept over his young friend's face, but he kept his reaction to a smile. "Now that's a trade secret." He told Reid.

"So… What's the name of this doctor we need to pick up?" Reid asked.

His phone rang, interrupting what Hotch was about to say. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw the name on the caller ID. "Hey Garcia… what do you have for me.

"_Hey handsome… You were right about the women. I ran all of the photos through my new little program and it found a pattern. You never cease to amaze me with what that brain of yours comes up with on its own. _

_Now first things first, every victim worked for a company that had some kind of party, or celebrations at the parks where they were found dumped. Three of the women worked as real estate agents, one was an architect and the other three were brokers. All of them attended the company parties last summer, and all of them were held around the time of the forth of July. _

_All of the tables in the parks were stripped and repainted by the same company last spring, as part of a city wide cleanup effort, or beautification project. The company that was contracted to do the job is 'We Paint it Right Inc.' the owner is Richard Sampson. The company has been in business as a family business since nineteen forty-five. He has a fifty man crew. That job was the biggest they handled last year, and they had to put on ten extra men to do it."_

"Is there any one person that was on all the jobs at the same time?" Reid asked when his friend stopped for breath.

"_Yes… there were seven men at every work site. One of them moved out of state three months ago. Two of the others were some of the temporary workers and they still live in Portland. One was killed in a hunting accident last fall. The other three still work on the crew."_

"Can you shoot me the names and addresses?"

"_I'm already on it, sweet cheeks," _she said cheerily

"Thanks Garcia… I have some more work for you regarding the case I talked to you about yesterday." Reid told her, one finger in his ear as he and Hotch left the interrogation room and headed back to the conference room.

"_Sure thing honey… you got a name for me to run?"_

"Not yet… I'll have to call you back when I get it."

He hung up his phone. "Reid… you need to get back to Washington. I know how much Esther Warburton means to you. We can handle things here.

Reid just looked at his boss. He was feeling more torn than he ever had in his life. He wanted to stay here and find this man who thought he was invincible, but he didn't want someone else to get hurt in DC while he was away. Mrs. Warburton was kind of like a mom to him. Speaking of moms, his mother was in care like Esther's friend. What if someone tried to hurt her? He'd want someone in Las Vegas to help when he wasn't there.

"Reid… I want you to relay the information that Garcia just gave you, and then I want you on a plane back to Quantico. We can handle it."

The entered the conference room and the rest of the team looked up with equal expressions of concern and curiosity at the quick exit they had made.

"Is everything alright," Rossi directed to Hotch?

"Yeah… we have some new information from Garcia regarding out case. Reid is going to fill us in and then I'm sending him back to Quantico.

There was a general uproar, but Hotch silenced them. "He'll tell you about it later."

JJ tried to meet Reid's eyes but he didn't look her way. He told them about Garcia's call and what he'd figured out from the crime scene photos and the geographical profile. They split up to go interview the men on the painting crew, taking officers as back up with them in case they got lucky. Reid hoped it would be easy for them this time.

He headed out to the elevator with an officer. The young office took out to the jet and Reid was strapping into his seat for take off, when his phone rang again. "Hey Reid… It's Hotch… I never told you the name of the doctor I investigated…

Sondra Jackson had finished her shift. It was ten pm and her feet hurt something terrible. "You would think I would be used to it by now." She grumbled to herself, while pulling on a jacket, "So much for the shoes being the best thing in foot care since sliced bread!"

She grabbed her purse and keys. The feeling that she was being watched was more and more pronounced as she walked out to her car. It wasn't just the cameras the nursing home had for security. It was more than that. Everything had started to feel wrong when the nice Dr Reid had come to visit and Tommy had reacted so badly to some bad man. Who was the bad man in the noisy shoes, or black shoes? It didn't make any sense to her. While the doctors wore black or brown shoes, none of them had squeaky shoes!

"Come on Sondra… Tommy is autistic… He's not going to talk straight. He probably means something else."

Yeah… that was it. She approached her little Honda Civic and began to look for the keys she thought she'd put in her jacket pocket. They weren't there, so she looked through her purse in the light of the street lamps and couldn't find them. After looking three times everywhere she could think of, she had to admit that they were gone.

"Great… fabulous… Damn it!" She yelled at the car.

She was just turning to go back to the nursing home when she was startled by a hand on her shoulder. "Oh…" She said, looking at the person behind her. "It's you!"


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/n here's the new chapter. Thank you all for your kinds reviews. They make me smile**_

**_Disclaimer: Nothing recognizable from Criminal Minds belongs to me._**

"I'm sorry if I startled you, Sondra. I was hoping to catch you before you went home tonight. May we go talk in my office?"

"Of course… I needed to go back inside anyway. I seem to have lost my keys."

Dr. Stevens smiled down at her. "I'll help you find them."

Sondra gave him a false smile and followed him back into the nursing home. His office door was open and he motioned for her to go first. His office was dominated by a large mahogany desk that was polished to a mirror shine. There were two cobalt blue sling chairs in front of the desk and behind it a black leather office chair. A blotter filled the desk's center, with a computer screen to the right, and a name plate just at the head of the desk. To the left sat a phone, and a pewter cup, with a pen and a pencil set standing inside with a silver letter opener.

"Have a seat Sondra," He ordered.

"Doctor what is this all about? I need to find the keys to my car and get home. My mother is taking care of my son and I have to go pick him up. "

The doctor went to his chair behind the desk and sat down. He pulled the letter opener out of the cup and began to turn it over in his hands. "I know you have obligations, but I wanted to speak to you about Tommy Marshall and the visit we had from the police today."

"Oh…" Sondra said, feeling her shoulders stiffen with tension.

"Yes… I understand that they talked to the staff and some of the patients. You see… that Dr. Spencer Reid and his so-called wife Jennifer Jareau are FBI agents, specifically with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I don't know why they were here. The police were less than forthcoming."

"They said that one of the residents that died, Stella Hutchinson, had a friend that went missing. They thought it had something to do with Mrs. Hutchinson's death. The last things we need are feds poking their noses in where they don't belong."

"I don't know why you're asking me anything. I told them the same thing I'll tell you, that I don't know anything about her death. I was under the impression that she died of a heart attack." Sondra insisted.

"You were in the library when Tommy had a rage today. Why do you think he was talking to the FBI agent?"

"He wasn't talking to the agent. He was singing like he sometimes does. The only thing that was different was the cat. She seemed to be fascinated with Tommy, and he didn't push her away when she wanted to be petted.

"You're sure that he didn't say anything to you, or Tommy, about his real purpose here?"

"Just because he's an FBI agent, doesn't mean that he wasn't sincere in looking for a place for his mother!" She insisted, even though she was beginning to be suspicious of the handsome young doctor and his wife.

"He's not married to Jennifer Jareau. It was a lie and I want to know why."

Sondra flinched away from the anger in the doctor's eyes and in the tone of his voice. "I don't know why they were here. Listen… I have to find my keys and get back to my boy. If I can't find them, then I need to get a cab out here."

Dr. Stevens opened a drawer in his desk and took out something that jingled in his hands. "Do you mean these keys?" He held up a keychain that had a silver cat hanging from it and a small picture frame with the face of the nurse, and a small boy with black skin and curly black hair. His eyes were sparkling with laughter and he hugged Sondra around the neck. Several keys dangled from the ring and jingled again when he shook them at her.

"Why do you have my keys," She demanded indignantly?

"I had to lure you into the office. I can't have you running off to talk to the FBI agent or the police. Since you won't tell me what I want to know about the fed, you'll be staying here with us till I figure out what to do with you and the old lady." He raised a hand and someone stepped out of the shadows of one corner of the room.

"Wendell… Please see that our guest joins Mrs. Warburton, won't you?"

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The bureau jet was making it's descent into DC when Reid's phone rang. "Hey Garcia… What did you find out for me?"

"_You and the boss man were right about Dr. Lev Stevens. He was a suspect in some suspicious deaths and two disappearances fifteen years ago. All of the victims were cremated shortly after they died, so there was no physical evidence. There have been six more victims at Sleeping Pines that were suspicious, but all the bodies were cremated per the wishes of the residents in their wills. Dr. Lev Stevens is the sole beneficiary of all the victims. And Reid, there was another death two days ago."_

Reid's hands went cold at this news. "Has she been cremated?"

"_No… Donna Mackey, Mrs. Reiner's daughter, is on her way to DC. Apparently, she was estranged from her mother, but was her emergency contact because the rest of the family is dead."_

"We need to get the body of Mrs. Reiner to Quantico for an autopsy."

"_I'm already on it sugar cheeks. She'll be there before you get back."_

"Thanks Garcia."

Reid hung up and then dialed Hotch. He filled in his boss on the development and Hotch filled him in on the case he had left behind. He explained to Reid that they were able to speak to the employees of the restoration company except one, a Harvey Guest. His ex wife didn't know where he was, when they went to see her. JJ was in the middle of press conference and they had a hot line set up.

"Are you going to give him a look at Emily?" Reid asked his boss.

"_Yeah… I've got her out in front of the cameras with JJ. Hopefully seeing his type up in front of the camera's will force his hand."_

Reid smiled, and thought that if this guy tried to go after Emily he'd be sorry he was ever born after she got done with him.

"_I'm going to call Harold and see if we can push through warrants for Sleeping Pines. We're going to do this the right way, Reid."_

"Okay… the pilot just announced we're landing, so I have to get off the phone Hotch."

"_Make sure you take back up with you Reid."_

"I will Hotch…" Reid stowed his phone and buckled in for the landing. It was time to figure out just what Dr. Lev Stevens had been using to kill his patients. He hoped that Tommy was okay. Had the young man really witnessed something?

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Tommy slept restlessly in his bed at Sleeping Pines. Wendell stood outside his door at the instruction of Dr Lev. If the young man left, his room for any reason Wendell would be there to make sure that the young man did not see anything else he wasn't supposed to see.

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Esther awoke when the door to her prison closed behind the doctor. She looked over to her right to see the young nurse that had been so good to her whenever she had come to the nursing home to visit her friend. It looked like the nurse was unconscious, just as Esther had been when that fake FBI agent grabbed her. How could she be so stupid? Her head ached, and her legs didn't move when she tried to sit up. She found that she couldn't move her arms either. It looked like she was restrained, just like she was some kind of dangerous mental patient.

Why was she there, she was asking herself when the nurse began to groan. The nurse was restrained just like Esther was and the old lady lost hope that she would be able to get out of this predicament. Had anyone heard the scuffle in her apartment? Was Agent Reid back from his case yet? What would Leia do all alone in her apartment? Had that man hurt her too? She couldn't bear it, Leia was a good friend. All of this had to do with what was going on at Sleeping Pines, but how was she going to get free to call Spencer for help. Was there even a phone?

The nurse moaned again and in the low light of the one bulb in the middle of the ceiling, she could see the woman turn her head. She watched the eyes of the nurse get wide with disbelief.

"Mrs. Warburton, is that you?"

"Yes dear… it appears that we both have gotten ourselves into a bit of a predicament."

Sondra laughed and then groaned. "Mrs. Warburton… I think you have a gift of understatement."

"That may be true dear, but how are we going to get out of here?"


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/n hey everyone I want to thank all of you that still support this story. The next chapter is here. **_

_**Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is the property of CBS. No copyright infringement is intended.**_

Emily carried two cups of coffee into the noisy, and crowded precinct bullpen. All of the desks were occupied by police officers and the remaining members of her team. Most of them were busy with phones, and the tip line that had been going crazy with calls ever since JJ's press conference had aired.

Emily caught bits and pieces of the conversation as she made her way through the maze of desks to where JJ was just ending a phone call.

"Yes sir… No sir… I'm sure the officers weren't laughing at you. Yes sir… I'll be sure to pass your complaint along to the Chief of Detectives. Yes sir… Goodnight!

JJ slammed the phone down and glared at the receiver. "Hey JJ… I got the last of the coffee for us."

Emily sat down in the chair facing JJ and placed the cup of horrid precinct coffee in front of the dejected looking communications liaison. "People are out of their minds." JJ announced as though she were the first person on earth to ever think this about her fellow human beings.

"Well… not everyone… What happened sweetie?"

"That man is sure that the man down the hallway is the killer. He claims that he saw his neighbor carrying a body out of his apartment in an Oriental rug last night!"

"Well that's a waste of a nice antique." Emily observed after taking a sip of the acid tasting coffee. "God… this stuff is horrible!"

"Forget the coffee for a minute. You're getting to be as bad as Reid."

Emily only looked in horror at her friend. "Don't lump me in with Mr. Five cups a day. I swear that man must have caffeine for blood."

JJ didn't say anything, just frowned down at the phone as though staring at it would make it ring and bring the man to them.

"Hey… I was only joking. What's bothering you?" Emily laid a hand on JJ's arm.

"It's nothing. I hate playing the waiting game with this guy!"

"I know… but I think Hotch is brilliant, and I'm sure his plan will work."

JJ looked up at her friend with cobalt eyes that were so sad these days. "I can't believe you're being so nonchalant about this. Aren't you scared?

Emily shrugged her shoulders. "Sure… but I'm not going to think about it. I'll do what I have to do to make sure that the women of this city are safe."

"I hope you're right."

Emily narrowed her eyes at her friend. "As much as I appreciate the concern, I think it's misplaced."

JJ began to play with the call sheet in front of her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"JJ… everyone knows you and Reid are a couple. Why are you trying to pretend that Hotch sending him back to Virginia doesn't bother you?"

"Emily… I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do… This is the first time Reid has gone off by himself since Georgia and you're terrified."

"Now isn't the time to talk about this." JJ insisted.

"Okay… but I think you should -"

"Agent Prentiss…" A very short, red haired police woman called out to Emily. "I've got someone on the phone that wants to talk to you. I think it's our guy.

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"Mrs. Warburton, is that you?"

"Yes dear… it appears that we both have gotten ourselves into a bit of a predicament."

Sondra laughed and then groaned. "Mrs. Warburton… I think you have a gift of understatement."

"That may be true dear, but how are we going to get out of here?"

"I don't even know where we are." Sondra said. "I only remember being in Dr. Lev's office the and nothing after that. My mother and my son… They're going to be so upset if I don't make it home on time…" Sondra groaned in pain and then fell silent.

"Sondra… Are you still awake?" Esther listened hard for a long time, but could only hear breathing from the nurse's side of the room. "Sondra… you need to stay awake. I think they may have hit you on the head… Sondra… Say something please."

"I'm awake…" the nurse said faintly. "I think you're right… they hit me pretty hard on the head. It really hurts."

"Tell me what to do for a head injury like that," Esther said firmly, still trying to wiggle her arms. Maybe her left one was moving a little?

She heard the click of Sondra swallowing and saw her turn her head in the low light of the room. "The patient might have a concussion so it's important to keep her talking and awake."

"Well that's easy. It smells like a basement in here, so I think we might be underground. What do you think Sondra?"

Sondra thought for a minute and then said in a weak and breathless voice. "Sleeping Pines was built on the original foundation and basement of an old manor house from the original settlement in Virginia. It burned down six years ago and no one seemed interested to rebuilding it. It was a historical landmark and arson was suspected, but no one really knows what happened."

"Well… that explains the lingering smell of smoke. It's faint, but I can smell it, can't you." Esther asked Sondra.

"Yes… I can smell it. So we're in the basement lab of Dr. Lev. Dr. Arlington has space down here too, but the rest of the basement is devoted to storage." Sondra was sounding drowsy and far away again.

"Sondra… Don't go to sleep on me." Esther wriggled her left arm again and felt it move again. The restraints weren't as tight as she first thought. No doubt that rude young man that lied to her at her home thought she wasn't a threat.

"Sondra… I need you to talk to me. Tell me about your family. Do you have any children?" Esther called out to the nurse.

"Yeah… I um… I have a son. He's six years old. He's so beautiful…" She said faintly.

"Stay with me Sondra…" Esther snapped out in her best - I am the teacher you will do as I say - voice.

"Okay… yeah… his name is Damien and he's in the first grade. He can read so well. He brings home all of his reading assignments and finishes them before going out to play."

"That's wonderful. I hope he has good teachers."

"Yeah… the school is the best one in the district, so I'm very lucky."

"Sondra… you're fading out on me again. I need you to stay awake." Esther said very sternly. She pulled on the left arm once more and it came free from the bonds. "Sondra… I'm getting loose from these restraints." Esther fingered the leather strap and found the buckle across her chest. Her damn arthritic fingers hurt from the dampness in the basement and her head was pounding.

"Sondra… Are you still with me?"

A faint voice came back to her. "Yes… Mrs. Warburton… I'm awake."

"Good… call me Esther."

"Okay Esther… Where's my son. I need to see Damian!"

"Sondra… you're in the basement of your employer. Do you remember?"

"What happened…? Why are we here?"

"I don't have time to explain." Esther sat up slowly after taking the strap off of her chest. "I'm free except for my feet." She reached down and opened the restraints on her feet and the leather strap flipped down to the floor with a thwack!

"Where are you?" Sondra asked in a terrified voice.

"I'm right here," Esther limped over to the gurney that held the nurse. "Stay awake… I have to see if the door is open. If it is I'm going to go get help."

She looked at the nurse and tried not to wince at the large lump on the top of her head. It was bleeding a little, but she knew that scalp wounds often looked worse then they really were.

"I'm going to see if the door is open." She repeated. "Stay with me, okay."

Sondra nodded, "I'll try…" She said groggily.

Esther patted her arm and turned to the door. The door was metal and looked pretty thick, but it opened on silent hinges as though it was new. It swung open slowly and she peered around the corner. The man that had grabbed them obviously didn't think that he needed security for a little old lady and a nurse. She limped around the corner and saw why.

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Reid deplaned and headed to his car. The drive from the air strip to Quantico was long and short at the same time. His hands were shaking on the steering wheel of the car. It was after midnight and it felt like he'd been awake for days. A ghost of a smile crossed his face at the thought of JJ and their midnight interlude that night before. Then he straightened up in his seat and pushed her out of his head.

Quantico was silent when he entered the office. He greeted the guards at the gate and then at the entrance to the Academy. The ride up to the sixth floor was very quick. He made a quick stop in the rest room and at his desk to leave his bag.

Garcia was in her office and seeing her there was like a balm for his troubles. "Hey Garcia…" He whispered.

"Why are you whispering baby boy?"

"I don't know. I guess because it's after midnight and I am on "hallowed ground," as it were." He quipped.

"Who knew you were so quick Dr. Reid." She turned around a looked at him very carefully. "Oh… look at you... Someone got lucky…" She sang.

She was wearing a black kimono with a red dragon embroidered on the back. Her hair was pulled up in a bun with two red and gold chopsticks. Her glasses and her lips matched her kimono.

Reid went crimson and ducked his head. "Garcia… I'm not here to dish… I need more info on this nursing home." He tried to say without whining.

"Fine… but I want to hear about it later. Now, get in here and let me tell you about the phone call I just received."


	15. Chapter 15

**_A/n hey all, here's the next chapter. Thank you all for your kind words and support of the story!_**

**_Disclaimer: Nope they're still not mine!_**

"I got a call from the morgue just a few minutes ago and the autopsy is getting started right now. I spoke to Carter in the lab and he's going to rush through tox as fast as he can. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can find anything else to get us a warrant." Garcia told him when he sat down next to her.

"Thanks Garcia…" Reid said absently.

"Hey sweet cheeks… what's bothering you now? You were looking so happy a minute ago."

"I don't know… There's something bothering me. It's like I forgot something really important or forgot to do something important.

"Well… I think you're worrying for nothing. Oh… I almost forgot. The animal shelter in Arlington called. They have Leia and they said you can pick her up after eight in the morning tomorrow."

"Oh… I'm sure she's very happy there." Reid said sarcastically. "She'll scratch my eyes out when I go get her. She hates to be in a cage and she's been in one since yesterday morning."

Garcia reached over and patted his arm. "Don't worry baby cakes… I'm sure she'll forgive you in time. She's a pretty easy going cat."

"Yeah… when she gets everything she wants from me."

"Spencer Reid… Are you trying to tell me that JJ and Leia have you whipped?" Garcia asked stifling a laugh when he sent her a withering look.

"If I'm going to be insulted, then I'll just go back to my desk and wait for Carter in peace." Reid made as if to get up and Garcia pushed him back into this chair and went back to her computer.

"Sit down sweetie. You're not good at empty threats." Garcia said failing to hide the laugh that wanted to well up from her lips.

"You don't know me as well as you think you do!" he declared, trying to be as serious as he could. Garcia laughed and he went pink in the cheeks.

"Yes I do know let's get to work."

"I'm trying but I'm still sure there is something I'm forgetting and it's something important."

Garcia stopped tapping the keys on her computer and turned around in her desk to look at her young friend. "Baby boy… you think too much. I know that whatever is bothering you will… Reid… Are you listening to me?"

He was staring at her chest. Dr. Spencer Reid was staring at her chest. Why was he staring at her chest? Why wasn't he blushing while he was staring at her chest? She should say something, but she had lost the ability to speak. What about JJ… Reid was supposed to be in love with her best friend. Then there was Morgan, what was he going to say and …

"Garcia… Are you awake?" Reid was waving his hand in front of her face. "You were talking and then you just stopped. Is there something wrong?

"Yeah… you were just staring at my chest!"

"What…. No I wasn't," He looked at her bust line again, then something lit up his eyes.

"Reid… what in the world…"

"Your cat," He exclaimed!

"My cat…. What the hell - oh you mean the pendant."

She reached down and pulled the pendant she was wearing up to look at it. It was twenty four carat gold and the cat was lying down, looking at though it was sleeping. It was a Siamese cat and had the self satisfied expression those cats often wore when they felt especially content.

She explained to Reid where it had come from. Her oldest brother had given it to her for her nineteenth birthday. Her mother had adored cats. "She had three of them and after she died I moved out. I was the only one still living at home. I couldn't take them with me…" She wiped angrily at the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Reid said. He looked very upset at her tears. He patted her awkwardly on the arm.

"It's okay… There are days when I really miss my mom. Today was one of those days and that's why I'm wearing the pendant." She fingered it and straightened up with a no nonsense look. "Enough about me… Now tell me why you're so fascinated by the cat."

"Oh yeah… can you find out what room Mrs. Reiner was in at Sleeping Pines?"

"I can get that faster than you can say Starship Enterprise." Her fingers flew over the keys. "There… she was in number nineteen.

She watched Reid's eyes as they seemed to turn inward for a second. Then his eyes cleared and he looked very excited about something. "Garcia you're a genius." He said looking as though he wanted to kiss her. She leaned back away from him.

"Reid… I think you need to get some sleep…"

"No… I need to get someone on the phone to open up the shelter and get Leia out of there. We have to get to Sleeping Pines now."

"But…" It was too late he was out the door. Two minutes later he was back looking a little sheepish. "Ah Garcia can you…"

"Right here Dr. Reid. Next time… Skip the theatrics and just ask." She said impatiently. She handed him a piece of paper with a name and number on it. "Are you going to tell me what's got you so worked up?"

"Later…" He left the office again and she sighed. God save her from high strung geniuses and profilers!

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Harold Thompson rolled over and got quietly out of the bed. His wife was sleeping on her side facing him. He reached over and stroked her face with one finger. She was a tall, willowy woman with skin that was several shades darker than his. Her eyes were black and they always twinkled when she looked at him, even after thirty-five years of marriage. Her hair was black and just beginning to get streaked with strands of pure white at her temples. She refused to color her hair. She said that it made women look older when they colored their hair after sixty. He didn't care, whatever she did, it was the right thing. She took great care of herself and could pass for forty. He loved to see her smile. It lit up her face.

He grabbed his dark blue silk robe and put it on over the silk pajamas he wore that matched the robe. The case with Sleeping Pines was keeping him up. He padded out into the hallway and passed the pictures of their three children that were hanging on the wall in the moonlight. God… he missed his kids and grandchildren. Well… maybe this summer would bring them home for a visit.

He went down the stairs and around the corner. His home office was down the hall past the kitchen. He detoured into the kitchen to see if there were the makings of a snack. Lily would chide him about his metabolism and how he could eat anything at anytime, even at the advanced age of sixty. She would complain about having to work out and watch what she ate to stay slim. He smiled to himself and pulled ham, Swiss cheese, rye bread and mustard from the refrigerator. He flicked on the light to the kitchen and proceeded to make a sandwich. He got a small plate from the cupboard and got a pickle from the jar in the fridge. He poured out a glass of milk and went to his office. He was just about to sit down in the leather chair behind his oak desk when the phone rang.

"Thompson…" He growled into the phone.

"Harry… Stephen here," The voice said on the other end of the line. It was a gravelly voice that expected respect and got it.

"Your Honor… what can I do for you at this hour."

"I've got the warrants you requested… I want them followed to the letter. I'm going out on a limb on this one. We have to be sure or it's going to end badly for everyone."

"I know Stephen. I promise you that Dr. Reid and Aaron Hotchner are on to something at Sleeping Pines."

"You better be right. I'm straining the limits of friendship and professional decorum. I've spent the last couple of hours looking into the backgrounds of Dr. Reid and Agent Hotchner. There's nothing there that tells me not to trust either one of them. Dr Reid's life has been tough, and the case in Georgia was as rough as it can get for an agent. He's kept it together though and I trust him. I know of Agent Hotchner too. He's a good man. So… I'm faxing the warrant to you now. Go put a lid on this problem once and for all."

"Yes sir… And Steve… meet you on the golf course tomorrow night?"

"Sure… I'm always up for kicking your ass Harry."

Thompson laughed with the judge and hung up the phone. Judge Stephen Wilcox was the best of the men on the bench these days. He wouldn't give his signature on a warrant if he didn't feel it was worth it, even for a friend. That only elevated Harry's respect for the man.

He picked up his phone again, and called a familiar number as the fax machine beeped, and began to spit out the documents that he hoped would put Lev Stevens in prison for the rest of his life.

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Esther Warburton had left the room and gone a few steps down the curiously round hallway. It looked like what she saw on television when they had a submarine on a program. There was a round door at the end of the hallway like the one she'd just left. Her shoulders sagged to see that there was a keypad at the side of the door and it a red light was on. It was coded, something else she knew from the movies and television. She tried to yank on the door, but it was tightly closed. Maybe she could guess the code. There was always a simple code for the bad guys on television. Then again, there was always a bobby trap if you didn't get the right one in like three guesses or something. Well… there had to be another way out and she was going to find it.

"Mrs. Warburton… How did you get out of those restraints?" A rough hand turned her around and she looked up at Dr. Lev Stevens.

"I should have known it was you young man. Have you no shame." She tried to pull out of his grasp, but his fingers dug painfully into her shoulder, and she was beginning to feel dizzy again.

"You're a nosy old bag and I know just what I'm going to do with you!"


	16. Chapter 16

**_A/n here's the next chapter faithful readers. Enjoy._**

**_Disclaimer: Nothing is mine but the cat and the original human characters._**

"Agent Prentiss…" A very short red haired police woman called out to Emily. "I've got someone on the phone that wants to talk to the beautiful, dark haired, agent that stood up during the press conference. I think it's our guy.

"It's show time." Emily said cheerily.

"This isn't a game Emily." JJ hissed as she motioned the guys over to her desk, while picking up the same line as Emily.

"This is Agent Prentiss. To whom am I speaking?"

A very high and feminine sounding male voice came over the line. "Agent Prentiss… I am the Archangel Michael. I saw you standing with the agents of Satan on the television. The blond whore claimed that your agents were closing in on me, and that it's only a matter of time before you catch me."

"You sent the letter to us. You must want to talk with us, or you would have remained hiding behind the Bible."

"I don't hide behind anyone or anything. I am the strong right arm of God!"

"Strong men don't go around killing innocent women and blaming it on God." Emily was maintaining an even tone, but the un-sub was getting more agitated with every response. His breath was starting to come in heavy gasps.

"You presume to lecture me about God! You are as godless as the heathen that you work with. Those women weren't innocent. They were all sinners, just like you!"

He was shouting and Emily was holding the phone away from her ear. The guys were all crowded around her, and the entire precinct had gone silent.

"Sir… I don't know what happened to you to make you hate women so much. I would like to talk to you and hear your side of the story."

"I don't have to explain myself to the FBI or the paid whores that work for them. You have no authority over me. The laws of man must give way to the laws of God and -"

"This is getting very tedious." Emily drawled in a very bored voice. "Why don't you tell me about the sister that abused you?"

Only the man's ragged breathing was heard by the group. It echoed out of the speaker phone like a noxious fog. Emily waited patiently for the man to continue. Hotch snapped a look at her before putting his eyes back on the phone as though they were drawn there by an invisible string.

"You don't know anything about me… bitches. You will pay for your assumptions and your haughtiness in taking the job a more competent man -"

"Sir… you're boring me again. I don't need a lecture on staying home barefoot and pregnant. If we can't have productive conversation then -"

The man shouted her down, his voice ringing through the precinct like the snap of a bull whip. "Don't you speak to me like that you fucking whore. I'll gut you, and rip your still beating heart out of your chest. You won't stop me. You can't stop the will of God!"

Hotch punched the phone and snapped the conversation off in the middle of the man's tirade. He looked over at Emily again and she tried to smile, but her face was white.

"Prentiss… Why don't you go sit -?"

"No… We got this guy didn't we," She turned to JJ who was red faced with anger at the way this man had spoken to her friend.

"Yes… we got him. I just got the name and address from Garcia but -"

"I'm fine you guys… Let's go get this son of a bitch." Emily turned on her heel and strode out of the bull pen.

--

The man that ran the animal shelter was not amused at getting up at three in the morning to open up for Reid to get his cat. Reid had had to pull rank as it were, with his FBI credentials to get the job done. He told the man that Leia was a witness in a crime and he needed her to identify a suspect. The manager basically told him that cats couldn't be witnesses to a crime. Reid didn't argue with the man except to use the "it's a matter of national security" line. The man backed off, but grudgingly. He seemed to think it was terribly funny when Leia refused to get into the cat kennel again. Reid had to coax, and beg, and bribe with many treats to get her in the carrier. She tried to resist again when he picked her up, but Reid was eventually able to get her in the kennel. He was dripping with sweat and the shelter manger was laughing fit to kill by the time Reid the door on the carrier.

"She's a feisty one, ain't she?" The short, blond haired man said. He looked like he belonged on a ranch instead of in an animal shelter and he sounded like it too, with a heavy Texas drawl.

"Yes…" Reid said evenly. Well… it wasn't her fault. The poor animal had been through a lot in the last forty-eight hours. "Thank you Mr. Granger. I appreciate you getting out of bed for this."

The man couldn't stay mad when this young man seemed to adore his cat and he obviously needed her for something. He doubted that it was to use the cat as a witness as the young man claimed. Young people did strange things these days.

Reid took the sulking cat to his car. He put her in the back seat and she ignored his attempts to make nice. She growled at him once, and then was very silent till he started the car, then she began to hiss and growl again.

Reid had just turned out of the parking lot at the animal shelter when Garcia called him. "Hey baby boy… I got some hot information for you."

"Let me have it," Reid answered while maneuvering into traffic.

"Hotch called me just a minute ago. They have the address for the un-sub in Portland and they're going after him. Apparently he called and wanted to talk to Emily."

Reid felt a smile cross his face at the thought of the man tangling with the profiler. "Yeah… I'll bet that wasn't a very smart move for him."

"No… but Hotch sort of indicated that the man said some pretty horrible things to Emily. I'm going to take her out and get drunk when they get back." Garcia declared.

"I'll join you… I have a feeling I'm going to need it."

"Reid… why is there so much noise in your car. Its sounds like a bad opera."

"That's Leia… she's pissed at me."

"Oh well… I'm sure she'll forgive you."

Reid turned onto another street. He saw that the back up he had requested was coming up in the back. The agents had good timing. They all kept there lights and sirens off. The DC police and SWAT would meet them at Sleeping Pines.

"Garcia… I know you didn't call to chat just before we kick in the doors at the nursing home. Tell me what you found."

"It's big news baby boy. I think you're going to love it!"

--

Dr. Stevens pushed and pulled Esther Warburton back into the small room where Sondra lay dazed. Esther almost fell when he shoved her back at the gurney she'd been tied to.

"I don't know how you got out of those restraints. You must be Houdini. With your case of arthritis it must have hurt like a son of a bitch."

"Like you would care young man," She shot back.

He waved the gun at her. "I would shut up if I were you. You're only alive because I need you as leverage for the good Dr. Reid."

"He won't give in to you because of me. He knows I would rather die." Esther said holding her head high in spite of the pain in her knees and fingers. "I've lived a full life. Dying doesn't scare me son… I'll see my friends again. I'll see Stella again.

The doctor's eyes narrowed at the mention of Stella name, but he didn't say anything about the other woman. Instead he motioned for her to get back on the gurney. Esther did as she was told, but he didn't strap her in again. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. The trick Spencer had once taught her wouldn't work again.

"Now…" He went over to Sondra, and made sure she was awake and breathing by slapping her hard across the face.

"Leave her be…" Esther demanded. "Don't think I won't hurt you because you're a decrepit old bitch." He taunted her. His eyes were wild in the half light of the room.

"I believe you're quite insane and that Dr. Reid will put you where you can't hurt anyone else. "

The doctor began to laugh. "You say that as though it is a threat. I want the young doctor to find us. You're going to be my ticket out of here.

The door opened again and Wendell came in with another gurney. Tommy was strapped to it and he appeared to be unconscious.

"Well… it would appear that we're all here except for our guest agent. He's very late. I guess we'll just have to wait!"


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/n hey all. Here's the next installment. Please let me know what you think. All feedback is greatly appreciated. **_

_**Disclaimer: Only the original characters are mine. **_

Detective Hansen and his partner Detective Danes were just pulling into the parking lot at Sleeping Pines when they noticed a tall, lanky man in an FBI vest bent over what looked like a cat carrier.

"What is he doing?" Danes asked her partner.

"I don't know. Maybe there's something wrong with the light here."

It was getting on to four am, and the parking lot lights were golden on the blacktop, they pushed the dark back like a shield so that the darkness crouched around the lot like enemy soldiers. Gathering storm clouds looked lighter against the blackness of the sky, blocking out the moon and stars.

They got out of the car and headed across the parking lot. The wind blew a paper cup across the blacktop and Kayla Danes kicked it with her left foot. It rolled away with a light clucking sound. The trees were lashed about in the wind and seemed to whisper to each other now that the moon wasn't there to spy on them.

As they got closer to the black SUV the young man was standing next to, they could hear a cat hissing and growling.

"Come on Leia… You liked Tommy… We'll visit him, I promise."

The cat seemed unimpressed by what the young man was telling her. The detectives watched the young man pull treats out of his pocket, and hold them out to the growling cat. Danes saw that the young agent didn't seem concerned about the cat scratching or biting him.

"Trusting soul I'd say," Her partner murmured.

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Reid was coaxing Leia out of her carrier when he heard the same voice behind him that he'd heard on the phone.

"I don't think the treats are going to work son," Reid turned and saw a tall man with about twenty pounds more on his muscular frame than was needed standing there.

He had graying, light brown hair and a finely lined face. His black leather jacket covered a dark blue tee-shirt that stretched across his belly. He wore faded jeans and a pair of black running shoes. The woman standing next to him was about ten years younger with blond hair and green eyes. She was about the same height as Emily, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail like Emily when they were going on a raid. She also wore a leather jacket, but it was dark brown and looked old. Her tee-shirt was dark green and her jeans were brand new. She wore white running shoes and her badge clipped to her jeans.

"I'm Detective Hansen and this is Detective Danes." He introduced them.

"Sorry… I didn't expect you to be here this quickly." Reid said, getting red in the face as he struggled to get the cat out of the carrier.

"Does the FBI always bring a cat to raids," Hansen said looking more amused than irritated. His partner was closed mouth, and she watched with interest while the young Dr. Reid tried to wrangle the cat.

"No… she's a witness." Reid said watching the two of them glance at each other. He knew what they were thinking. "Look I'm Dr. Reid and this is my cat. She was in the room when the un-sub kidnapped my neighbor. There was a death here two days ago. My cat was here with me and another agent. She ran away in the confusion following an outburst from another patient. When we found her, she was pawing at a door and yowling. It was the same room number as the patient that died."

Hansen raised his eyebrows and Danes said. "Well… it's just a coincidence right. You can't mean to say that the cat somehow knew that the patient was going to die, or be murdered as we suspect.

"Actually… there was a study done recently with cats. They were observed to go to terminal patients rooms before they died and sit there as though they knew what was going to happen. Cats have been known to be very sensitive to the moods of people. They are used in hospitals and the nursing homes to help relieve stress and to lower blood pressure…"

Danes and Hansen listened with ever growing amazement at the young doctor go on and on about cats and their "talents."

Finally Hansen interrupted, "I'm sure that's all very interesting." Reid had managed to get Leia out of the carrier and held her in his arms. "We need to get in there and serve the warrant. If you're right, then Stevens has at least one hostage."

"Yes… I'm aware of that. Look… if I'm wrong taking the cat in there, then the BAU will take responsibility."

The detectives shrugged and went to don vests. The SWAT teams took position to go in first. Reid and the detectives followed them, and served the warrant on the confused and very young nurse at the lobby desk.

"Ma'am we need to see Dr. Lev Stevens. Where is his office?" Reid asked while Leia began to squirm around in his arms.

"Well… I ah… Dr. Stevens isn't here at this time of night." The young woman looked absolutely terrified. She was not more than five feet tall and had very dark brown hair and eyes. She reminded Reid a bit of a girl he'd had a crush on in graduate school.

"Ma'am we need to search his office and any other areas where he might be hiding."

She went white at Detective Hansen's harsh tone. "Sir… I don't think that -"

Reid smiled at her and put Leia on the counter. The cat stared at the nurse, but didn't move. The nurse reached out and stroked the cat's head. "His office is behind me, but I don't know why you want to search it.

"We have reason to believe that he might be responsible for some suspicious deaths here and we need to talk to him."

Hansen, Danes, and some of the SWAT agents headed into the office the young woman had indicated. Reid was still smiling warmly at her and she was blushing. "Is there anywhere else the doctor might be if -"

Leia jumped down off the counter and took off down the hall. Hansen returned and informed them that the office was empty.

"My cat is heading down the hallway; I'm going to follow her."

"Dr Reid, we can't let a cat lead us around by the noses. I know that you brainy guys at the BAU have your own methods but I think we should -"

"Look… you determined before you came out here that Dr. Stevens was not at home."

The detective nodded curtly. "Yes… but I think we should ask -"

"I was just asking this nice young woman if the doctor could be anywhere else on the property." Reid interrupted.

"Yes… there is storage space and a laboratory in the basement." She told them.

They got directions and headed as quietly as possible through the silent corridors of the nursing home. The lights in the hallways were dimmed and it seemed like there was no one else in the world but the agents, the police and one errant cat.

They turned a corner and found Leia pawing at a door that went down to the basement. She looked back at all the men with their bristling weapons and meowed at Spencer.

"Well… I guess the cat is good for something," Hansen chided Reid. "Oh leave him alone. Open your mind to new experiences." Danes said. Hansen rolled his eyes at his partner.

They went down the stairs with Leia leading the way. The SWAT team spread out and had it cleared in minutes. Leia was standing at a door that looked like it belonged in a science fiction movie about space faring pirates that had run into hostile aliens. The keypad was green and the door was open.

"Looks… like we're expected," One SWAT agent said quietly into his mike.

"Yeah… proceed with caution." His partner echoed. They went across the threshold, down the hallway that was metallic and round, and through another metal door. Reid followed with the cat. He found Dr. Stevens with his gun trained on Tommy. There were two other men, Wendell and a man Reid didn't recognize guarding the other occupants of the room.

"Well… Dr. Reid. I have to say you've kept us waiting long enough!

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The rest of the team including JJ was on their way to Spring Street on the outskirts of Portland. Garcia had found a property owned by Harvey Guest, the only unaccounted for employee of the contracting company that did the refurbishing of the picnic tables. It was an old home that had been owned by his ex-wife's mother. She had thought that he'd sold it after her mother died, but in reality he'd kept the property under an umbrella corporation he'd set up.

The SUVs approached the house with lights and sirens off. It looked normal with red brick and white columns. The front lawn was still brown from the winter, but the rest of the yard was immaculately kept. There were large flower pots on the porch. The flowers weren't blooming but Guest had been working on getting the lawn into shape. There was a pair of leather gloves discarded to one side of the terra cotta pots.

Emily, Hotch and Morgan had cleared the living room and entered a room to their left. The other officers were clearing the rest of the house. The room was a small bedroom. The man in the room was sitting in a chair right in the middle of the room. The twin bed to the left was unmade and littered with newspapers. The old battered night table had a lamp without a shade and a large well read bible. The lamp was on and it showed the large, black haired man in the chair. He was larger then Morgan. He was smiling a smile that would have been beatific on a saint; on his face it was hideous.

There were three sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest and he held the trigger in his hand. "Well… I thought you'd never get here." He said pleasantly in that same, high pitched voice.


	18. Chapter 18

**_A/n thanks to everyone that's still with me in this story. I appreciate all your reviews._**

**_Disclaimer: Yada, Yada, Yada! _**

The basement room under Sleeping Pines was the size of an average living room. It was windowless, and the only light swung from a fixture set into the ceiling in the middle of the room. The floor was concrete and cheerlessly gray. The ceiling was white with rust stains running across it like old blood stains. The light focused down on the inhabitants and left the corners of the room in black shadow.

"Dr. Stevens… we have warrants for your arrest." Reid informed the doctor. He kept his service piece trained on the doctor.

Leia had dashed into the room, and she sat just inside the circle light raining down on the men and women locked in this struggle for life and death. She looked first at Mrs. Warburton, and then at Dr. Stevens as though trying to make a decision.

"Dr. Reid… I'm surprised that you would come here without the great Aaron Hotchner. Don't you hide behind his skirts like a frightened boy? Or is it Jennifer Jareau's skirts that hide you. She's a beautiful woman Dr. Reid. A woman like that wouldn't give you a second look in the real world. How did you get her into your bed?"

"I'm not here to talk about my life Dr. Stevens. I'm here to take you into custody and end the victimization that's going on in this nursing home."

To Reid's great surprise, the doctor threw back his head and laughed. "Dr. Reid… I have three people in my custody that I'll kill if you don't back off slowly and put down your weapons."

"That's not going to happen… The officers with me can take you out before you can blink. I'd prefer to take you alive, but if I have too -"

Dr. Stevens' face took on an ugly cast. His lips twisted into a sneer and his eyes narrowed at the young agent. "I know all about you Agent Reid. You're the product of a diseased mind. Your father left you when you were ten years old because you're a freak of nature. I have contacts in high places and I know what happened to you in Georgia. You should have been -"

Reid had been looking at Dr. Stevens like he was a very interesting new bug, and in the same calm tone he interrupted the doctor. "Why don't you stop attacking me and tell us why you're killing these women. I know you've stolen money from them, but there's more to it then that, isn't there?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. You're pitiful attempts at profiling me won't work."

Reid saw Leia out of the corner of his eye. She was crouched down as though stalking a mouse, or the birds that she sometimes tried to catch when he would take her to the park in the spring time.

"You know Dr. Steven's… I don't really need to profile you. You're not that interesting. All I need is Garcia."

"Who or what is a Garcia," The doctor asked in a bored tone that was laced with contempt.

"Oh dear… she'll be so disappointed when I tell her that she didn't hold your interest. And I thought you checked me out thoroughly." Reid clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"My sources didn't tell me you're sarcastic Dr. Reid."

"Now see… you've hurt my feelings Dr. Stevens."

"This isn't a game Dr. Reid. I want transportation to Canada and I'm going to take Tommy with me so you don't get cute with those guns."

"Why don't you let all of your hostages go and we'll talk." Reid answered.

"No… I'm not stupid enough to fall for your tricks… But I will let the nurse go… just as a show of good faith."

The man guarding nurse untied her bonds and two police officers pushed the gurney out of the room. "There you are Dr. Reid. Now why don't you see about ordering a helicopter and a pilot for me and Tommy?"

"Why are you so interested in Tommy and taking him with you?" Reid enquired. His arms were getting so tired, but he kept the gun trained on the doctor.

"He saw me come out of old lady Hutchinson's room that night. He wasn't supposed to be up and wandering around, but he was that night. He was going on about some bad dream or something. I don't know what he saw, but I have to take him with me now."

"Dr. Stevens… Why don't you tell me the truth?"

Reid could see that the man was beginning to sweat. His face was very pale and the hand that held the gun on Tommy was starting to shake.

"I don't know what you're talking about Dr. Reid."

"I think you do… I told you that I have Garcia. She gave me some very interesting facts about you. You were married once a long time ago. Your wife was involved in a car accident five years after you were married. She lingered in a coma for two years, didn't she?"

"Shut up… You little pup!" Stevens shouted at him.

"A young intern at the hospital gave her a fatal dose of digitalis, just like you gave your victims."

"I said shut up… I'll shoot him." The doctor had turned to face Tommy straight on. The young man was still sleeping or unconscious. He didn't move or respond to the events around him.

"You won't shoot him. You'll abandon him when he was six years old, but you won't shoot him. You left him to be raised by state homes and nursing homes, when you couldn't handle him. He started to show signs of autism and you brushed him aside like a used paper bag."

"I said shut up!"

"No... Tommy is your son and you left him to be taken care of by the very same kind of people that killed your wife. Then you decided two years ago that you felt bad and you got him in here. You never loved him though, you only feel guilty. He'd be better off without you!"

"No… He's a freak of nature just like you!"

He began to swing the gun around toward Dr Reid. Leia leapt off the ground and onto the gurney. The doctor, distracted by the movement, turned again and several shots rang out into the room.

--

Emily, Hotch and Morgan had cleared the living room and entered a room to their left. The other officers were clearing the rest of the house. The room was a small bedroom. The man in the room was sitting in a chair right in the middle of the room. The twin bed to the left was unmade and littered with newspapers. The old battered night table had a lamp without a shade and a large, well read bible. The lamp was on and it showed the large, black haired man in the chair. He was larger then Morgan. He was smiling a smile that would have been beatific on a saint; on his face it was hideous.

There were three sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest and he held the trigger in his hand. "Well… I thought you'd never get here." He said pleasantly in that same high pitched voice.

"Let's everyone just calm down," Hotch advised. There were several officers behind him and he motioned them away. "He has a bomb strapped to his chest. Get everyone out."

"Yes… why don't you all leave? Except for the lovely Agent Prentiss… I want to speak to her alone."

"That's not going to happen!" Morgan growled from his position at one side of the room.

"Call off your watch dog, or I'll press this button and we'll all go up." He directed at Hotch.

"It's okay Hotch… I'll talk to him." Emily lowered her gun and Guest smiled.

"No… I'm not going to leave you alone with this guy." Morgan insisted.

"It's okay…" She insisted.

"We're going to be right outside the door," Hotch jerked his head at Morgan and with one last glowering look, they left the room.

"Well... It looks like the big one has more then a professional interest in you."

"Why don't you stop talking about me and tell me what you want. You have the bomb so you're in control.

"I should have thought that it was obvious. I want you! You're just like the other whores out there. You need to be punished for your sins."

"You'll punish me like you did the other women. Did you know that two of your victims had children?"

"Of course I know that. I watched them before I took them. Believe me; it's better for them to live without lying whores to raise them."

"Is that what your mother was?" Emily asked. "Did she lie to you, or did she abuse you?"

"My mother was a saint. She never abused me. She wasn't like the others."

"Do you mean your sisters?"

"I'm not going to play games and talk about my childhood. You profilers think you can stop the warrior of God but you can't. My mission will go on until I am finished!"

"Why won't you talk about your sisters?" Emily asked calmly.

"What do you know about my life or the whores that didn't do as they were taught by my mother?" His voice had risen in pitch and one hand was thumping the desk.

"I know pretty much all there is to know about you. You were married, but your wife couldn't have children. The marriage didn't last, but you couldn't kill her like you wanted to. You had to find substitutes for her and your older sisters that abused you sexually until you were a teenager and large enough to fight back. You hated your mother for not stopping it. You killed all three of them, didn't you? There was a house fire and it was classified as an accident. I wonder though, how is it that they weren't able to get out of the house!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes… I do. You're using religion as an excuse to get back at your sisters and your mother. Did you set the fire that killed them?"

"Shut up… it was an accident!" My mother wasn't supposed to be there! She was supposed to be visiting a friend!"

"So you decided that killing your sisters wasn't enough, you had to punish women like them. You want to make us pay for what they did to you. Why religion Harvey… was your family religious and you see their abuse of you as a betrayal to your faith."

"You were sent here to deceive me, just as the serpent deceived Adam and Eve. I refuse to listen to your lies."

"I'm not the one that's untruthful, Harvey -"

"I am the Arch Angel Michael and I won't listen to the lies of a whore." He suddenly smiled as though he'd come to a decision. "I can be merciful just as God himself is merciful to his children. There is a thirty second timer on this bomb. If I were you I would run." He pressed the trigger and Emily turned to run screaming at Hotch and Morgan to get out.

They ran through the hallway of the house. Emily saw Hotch and Morgan yelling to the SWAT agents and moving as though time had slowed down and everything had lost its' noise. They had just reached the front door when Emily tripped over something and fell to the floor.

Hotch turned back and said something, but she couldn't hear what it was. She didn't hear herself screaming at him to get out of the house. Then there was huge explosion and heavy hot air rushed over her, and threw Hotch through the doorway to the porch.


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/hey all, here's the next chapter. Thanks to you all for your reviews. They always make me smile. **_

_**Disclaimer: Nope... I don't own them... Oh well... maybe next week.**_

When Emily opened her eyes, voices and lights were the only thing in the universe. She felt like someone had tried to kick a field goal and used her head as the pigskin. There was a bright light in her eyes, and for a terrifying second she thought maybe she was dead and this was the "light" everyone talked about. Then the volume came back in a loud rush. Voices and sirens swirled around her like a kaleidoscope of sound.

"Ma'am… Can you hear me?"

"Can you tell us your name?"

"Stay with us…"

She was so dizzy, but she tried to say her name. "My… name…. My name is… Prentiss… Emily Prentiss."

"Emily… Stay with us."

There was a feeling of being lifted and strapped onto something that felt a lot better than the hard surface around her. The air was full of smoke and the sounds were getting louder around her.

"Hotch… where are Hotch and Morgan…" Her voice was slurring. Wait… did she have too much to drink? Something strange had happened, but she couldn't remember what it was. There had been loud noises, but different from the sounds around here. She was moving and they put her up in some kind of vehicle.

"Where's Hotch…" She tried to demand, but her head was hurting to much to talk."

"Hey Prentiss…" Morgan face was above hers and he was smiling at here. "Hotch is on his way to the hospital. You're both gonna be okay." He'd taken her hand and she squeezed it.

"Ok…." She closed her eyes and let the dark pull her down.

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When Reid opened his eyes, he was lying on something soft and there were sirens all around. Detective Hansen was standing over him looking very bemused. "That's some cat you got."

Leia ran out of the shadows, and jumped into his lap. He tried to sit up and realized that a buffalo had run into his chest. "Fuck…" He exclaimed and dropped back onto the gurney.

A paramedic helped him up and Detective Hansen helped him take off his vest. "Good thing you had this on. You took one right in the chest from that little ferret Wendell."

"Is he okay?" Reid gasped as the tech began prodding him and asking "does that hurt," every few seconds.

"He'll be fine. He was shot by the SWAT team, and should be well enough to stand trial for conspiracy to commit murder."

"What about Mrs. Warburton and Tommy and - ouch…" He yelped as the tech looked over the bruise forming over his rib cage.

"You need to go to the hospital. You've got cracked ribs." The tech told him.

"Fine… I want to see the others anyway."

"Um… you can't take the cat with you." The tech said, watching the young doctor stroke the cat as though his life depended on it.

"She's a therapy cat, and she saved that boy's life." Detective Danes said. "I'm sure there is something that can be done."

The tech shrugged, and wheeled Reid to the elevator. They rode up, and out and into the corridors of the nursing home. There were several of the ambulatory patients that were out of bed, and looking at the curious parade. They passed the them, and went out into the night where Reid sat up and argued with the paramedics till they let him sit in the bus with Mrs. Warburton. "Hello Spencer…" She said from her position on the gurney.

Reid climbed in with Leia running in at his side, and took one of the old woman's hands in his. Leia meowed and tried to crawl onto the gurney.

"Now be a good girl Leia... We'll visit later." The older woman admonished the cat as the bus began to move away from the nursing home.

Leia stared at the old woman and then settled back into Reid's arms and began to purr as he pet her. He forgot the pain that breathing caused while Mrs. Warburton told him all about what had happened to her.

"Was it true what you said about Tommy and the doctor? Is he that sweet boy's father?"

Reid hung his head for a minute then looked her in the eye. "Yes…"

"Oh dear…" Tears had formed in the woman's eyes.

She squeezed Reid's hand and he smiled at her. "How old were you when your father left?" She asked him.

"Ten…" He didn't bother to ask how she knew.

"That's terrible, but it's made you stronger my boy. Now, you have someone special, and you're going to make a great father."

Reid flushed and the tech grinned at him. "But Esther… JJ and I aren't…" His eyes went wide. "Did she tell you something?"

"No… What makes you say that dear boy? I was talking about sometime in the future."

He didn't believe her, but they had arrived at the hospital and the doctors took her away. They put him in a room after arguing about the cat. In the end, Leia made the decision by jumping out of Reid's arms and running away. When the nurse found her she was sitting next to Tommy's bed, where the young man slept. He wasn't hurt, but they wanted him to stay the day just in case. Sondra had a concussion and was admitted for the day as well. Reid met her family and was subjected to much hugging and crying from her mother. Damian was with Sondra's sister and asleep. Reid hoped he didn't ever have to know what happened to his mother. Wendell and Dr Stevens were in surgery for their wounds and were expected to live. It was small consalation that Dr. Stevens would be going to prison.

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Reid was trying to call out to JJ's phone when the doctor interrupted him. "Dr Reid. I'm Dr. Mason. I just got your films back and you've got two cracked ribs. We're going to get you taped up and then I want you to stay here overnight, or I guess I should say overday as it's almost dawn."

"Do I have to stay?" Reid pleaded. "I'll be fine on my own."

"You can go if you have someone to look after you." The doctor agreed, thinking that the young man probably wouldn't be able to come up with someone to take care of him.

"I'll just call Garcia." Reid said looking at his watch and realizing it was just barely six in the morning.

"What's a Garcia?" The doctor wondered.

"She's a good friend. Believe me doc, she'll be here faster than you can say cardiac bypass."

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When Emily opened her eyes again, Morgan was standing over her. "Hey girl…" He squeezed her hand. "I just talked to Garcia, and she said to tell you to get better fast, or she'll personally fly down here and kick your ass."

Emily laughed and the pain in her head jacked up another notch. "Have you noticed that Garcia rules our lives? How did that happen?"

Morgan threw back his head and laughed. "I don't mind!" He winked and Emily giggled. "Now… I have other news."

He filled her in on Reid and his operation and Hotch, who had a concussion, a broken wrist, and a badly sprained ankle. Emily laughed and then groaned again at the antics of Reid's cat. "I think we need to make that cat an FBI Special Agent." Emily quipped.

"I think you're right." Morgan agreed.

JJ entered the room and told them she had spoken to Reid. "He's okay. He's got cracked ribs and Garcia is bossing him around, but he's okay."

Morgan left to go look in on Hotch and JJ sat down next to Emily. "So… now that Morgan is out of the room, dish. Did you tell Reid?"

"No… He's feeling very upset right now because of Tommy. I don't want to freak him out."

"JJ… you need to tell him. It's not right to keep silent about this. He's a good man. He needs you to be honest with him. You'll hurt him more if you don't tell him."

"I know… I just want to be sure."

"Then you will… as soon as we get home." Emily prodded.

"Okay…. When did you get so wise?"

"Oh… that's easy… I came to work with you guys and now you're my family."

JJ leaned over to hug her and Emily patted her back. "Now… I promise it will be okay."

JJ stood up and smiled at her friend. "Get some rest. I'm going to go call Spence again."

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"Why are you so stubborn sweet thing?"

"I'm not stubborn. I just don't need to stay in bed."

Garcia opened the door to Reid's bedroom and pointed at the bed. "Get in there, or I'll put you there and that will hurt" She ordered.

"How are you going to get me in there? Morgan isn't here."

"I'll call that nice Detective Hansen!"

"Fine…" He looked at her and waited while she stared back at him.

"I'll help you out of those clothes," She said. It wasn't an offer!

"No… I don't need help." He groaned in pain and Garcia narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sure you don't… Sit down and stay still." She helped him sit and then bent down to take off his shoes and mismatched socks. He was white faced and trembling by the time she got him into a pair of sweat pants and into bed.

"I told you… There was no way you could've done that on your own."

"Okay… You're right… Can you get me some coffee?"

"No… but I'm going to make you some tea and something to eat."

"Garcia…"

"Reid…."

They stared each other down till Reid gave in and grumbled, "Okay… breakfast is fine." He leaned back against the headboard and Leia leaped into his arms after Garcia left the room. "She sure is bossy. Why do you all want to order me around?" He asked the cat.

The cat didn't reply. She just stared at her master and began to purr.


	20. Chapter 20

**_A/n hey everyone. Here is the last chapter. Thank you all for your support of this story and putting up with the fact that my muse got on a bit of a "Nancy Drew, That Darn Cat" kick. I think she's lost her mind! Also, a belated thanks to my fantastic beta REIDFANATIC. She's the best!_**

**_Disclaimer: Sadly, nothing is mine, execept my original characters._**

Rossi, Hotch, Emily and Morgan were all gathered at one end of the waiting room with Mrs. Warburton and Leia. The cat was perched on Hotch's lap and the man was actually smiling.

"Hey Aaron… What's with the cat?" Rossi asked with a grin.

"Yeah… she wasn't very happy with you six months ago when you put that badge on her collar." Morgan observed while the cat hissed at him. "She hates me and I've never touched her

The smile left Hotch's face and returned to its usual impassive stare. "We came to an agreement."

"What's that supposed to mean." Morgan demanded.

"That's between me and Agent Leia." Hotch said

"Great… now the cat is keeping secrets with the boss." He narrowed his eyes at the feline and she yowled at him. Emily began to giggle and Rossi laughed as the cat and man stared each other down

Garcia came breezing into the room at that moment, her arms full of pink and blue carnations and white lilies. There was a small white teddy bear under one arm and she was beaming.

"Have we heard anything yet?" She demanded.

"No baby girl… Did you buy out the gift shop again?" Morgan stood and crossed the room to his goddess. He made her give him her gifts and led her to a chair.

"You're so overly dramatic gorgeous. I told you, nothing is too good for baby Reid." The others burst out laughing and even Hotch chuckled a little.

"Spencer is lucky to have you all as his family." Mrs. Warburton observed.

"No… we're lucky to have him." Hotch told her as Leia leaped down from his lap and ran to Mrs. Warburton.

"I think it's lovely that you made Leia an honorary Special Agent." She made "come to me" motions to the cat and Leia jumped into her lap.

"Well… she saved Tommy and Spencer's life, so it was the least the FBI could do." Rossi told her.

"Yeah… she's a cool cat." Garcia observed while Morgan rolled his eyes. Give him a dog any day. They weren't sneaky!

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As he walked down the hospital corridor, Reid held the small wriggling bundle in his arms as though he was carrying a bomb that would go off at any second. The waiting room had just come into sight and he drew a deep breath.

"It's time to meet the rest of the family," he said quietly to the little person that slept soundly in its father's arms.

His heart had yet to stop pounding from excitement and reaction. The doctors were attending to JJ and making sure she was comfortable for the rest of the night in her private suite. There was even a large armchair in her room for him to sleep in if he wished. He looked down at the new little life JJ had brought into the world and felt panic rise up in his throat. What if he screwed up and messed up his kid for life? JJ had been telling him for the last six months that he was going to be a great dad, but maybe she was wrong.

"I'm absolutely terrified," He told the child in his arms. "You're going to have to be really patient ok…"

He hitched up his shoulders, thought about the way Morgan would tease him if he could hear him at that precise moment, and entered the waiting room. "Alright time to stop stalling and show you off to your family."

Garcia was the first to notice him standing there and she leapt to her feet and crossed the room so fast it looked like she just appeared there in front of him cooing and babbling at the bundle in his arms. Then the rest of the team shot to their feet and left Mrs. Warburton sitting in her chair. Reid ignored the questions they began to fire at him and took his baby over to Esther.

"It's a boy, Esther… Would you like to hold him?"

Tears were spilling over onto her lined cheeks. Her brown eyes lit up when Reid gave her Eric Jason Reid to hold.

"He's beautiful…" She exclaimed above the voices of congratulations the rest of the team was expressing. Morgan thumped him on the back and Rossi was pumping one hand Emily and Garcia engulfed him in hugs and Hotch only stood back and waited before clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"If you find baldness and wrinkles attractive," Morgan quipped, and they all laughed at the red faced and proud father.

They all approved of the name and Leia, who'd leapt down from Mrs. Warburton's lap the moment he brought the baby into the room, meowed loudly. She jumped back up on the chair next to Esther and began to delicately sniff the blue blanket the baby was wrapped in.

"Hey… I thought you weren't supposed to let cats near babies. Don't they suck their breath or something?" Morgan observed.

Reid opened his mouth, but was cut off by Mrs. Warburton. "No… that's an old wives' tale. People used to think that a cat would get jealous of a newborn and attempt to do away with the child. As far back as the seventeenth century, there were tales of cats smothering babies. Usually, it happened after the baby died of SIDS, and they had to blame someone or something in their grief. Some people thought that just having a cat in the house with a baby was bad for the baby because the cat could steal its vitality by magic."

The rest of the team only stared in amazement at the old lady, who began to coo at Eric, who was sleeping soundly.

Morgan was the first to break. "Um… Mrs. Warburton, no offence, but how do you know that. You sound like Reid here."

The younger agent glared at Morgan and Emily began to giggle again. "I'm a teacher young man." She said as though that were the end of the subject.

She held the baby for awhile longer and then got to her feet. "I'm sorry Spencer… I promised I'd go see Tommy today as well. I'll come back tomorrow. Tell Jennifer I'll see her then."

She had given the baby to Emily and grabbed her cane. She hugged Reid and limped out the door. Garcia began to burble at the baby again and Morgan was laughing at her till she smacked the back of his head.

"Ouch… what was that for!"

Hotch shook his head and took Reid aside. "How's Tommy…" He asked quietly.

"I saw him yesterday. Sondra said he's almost back to the level of function he had before Dr. Stevens hurt him."

"I spoke with CA Thompson yesterday. There won't be a trial. Stevens changed his mind and pleaded guilty. He'll be in a mental ward for the rest of his life. Harry's very happy this is all over, finally and so am I."

Reid nodded briefly, and watched Emily and Garcia out of the corner of his eye cooing over his little boy. His little boy… It was so strange to be true!

"What are you thinking?" Hotch asked.

"That I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure that Lev Stevens never sees the light of day again. I'll go to every evaluation of his fitness from now till the day he dies, if I have to."

"I know… I also know you are not your father or Lev Stevens. Eric is going to have a wonderful and full life."

"Hotch… Was this what it was like for you?"

"Yes…"

Reid nodded again and went to retrieve his son and take him back to JJ. There was time enough for the rest of their lives to get to know this little being and all the things he had to bring to the world.

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Sondra peeked in on Tommy during rounds and saw that he was napping. How had she not seen in his face that he was Dr. Stevens' son? Was his long dead mother the only one he resembled, or was it the lack of his father's evil in his heart that made the difference?

She came farther into the room and noticed there was a different picture on the wall. It was a self portrait, rendered in such exquisite detail, that she believed the face might leave the picture and become some strange doppelganger for the young artist and fool even Dr. Reid. Next to the young man stood Dr. Reid, who was holding Leia in his arms, the strangest thing was that Tommy was smiling. She'd never seen him smile.

"God… Please watch over Tommy. Help us all to understand him."

She left the room and continued her rounds. Sleeping Pines had suffered, but it would stand thanks to Dr. Atkinson who stayed on despite blaming himself for everything that had happened on that awful night. He was more vigilant and kind than ever, and they all knew this would make them stronger.

She began to hum a tune under her breath, and as she went from room to room, the patients brightened her day a little more, as did the thought of her Damien and her mother. There were always blessings in every day, if you knew where to look.

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JJ laid Eric in the crib Hotch had given them. He joked about sparing Reid the trouble of putting one together, but there was something in his eyes that made a lump come into her throat every time she thought about it.

The small nursery in their new home was decorated in neutral yellow and cream with baby ducks all over the wallpaper. There was a matching glider rocker in the corner, and a changing table and dresser at the opposite end of the room.

It seemed like the last three months had passed so quickly. JJ was sure it had just been the day before, that they had brought Eric home from the hospital to a big party with the whole "family."

Spencer came into the room just as she was tucking a blanket with little puppies all over it around the baby. Eric wiggled a little and then settled down. She combed two fingers through his wavy brown hair that was the exact shade of Spencer's. His eyes were blue, but she hoped they might darken. Eric had most of her facial features and Spencer's long, delicate fingers.

"How's my boy." Spence whispered in her ear.

"Our boy is just fine. He's fed, and warm, and very sleepy."

"Good… I want some quality time with his mother."

She let him lead her into their bedroom after he'd checked to make sure Eric was warm enough. Leia was asleep just outside the nursery door, which had become her favorite place to sleep.

Spencer shut out the lights when JJ shut the door. Everyone was warm and happy, and when Spencer took her into his arms, she believed that life at that moment was the best it could get.

THE END


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